Our Refugee Advocacy Programme (RAP) based in the Ugandan capital of Kampala developed out of the critical need to provide support and information to the many thousands of refugees who are displaced and removed from their homes and forced to settle in a host community that is unfamiliar and often hostile and suspicious. It is not uncommon for a refugee to face harassment, abuse, detention and restrictions to their basic human rights and freedoms. Equally, there are a number of barriers. It is very difficult to understand and know what rights you are entitled to; to negotiate your way through the refugee determination process or know where to go if you become chronically sick, or fear for your own safety within a refugee settlement.

Unfortunately wider society remains ill-informed about refugees who are often perceived as unskilled and reliant on the countries they settle and become scapegoats for societal problems such as crime or HIV/AIDS. These factors inevitably fuel tension and division within the host communities they have to settle in.

On the contrary, many refugees are highly skilled, active citizens from their own countries. They are desperate to leave behind the traumas they have experienced by having an opportunity to rebuild their lives and make an economic contribution to their new community. RAP endeavours to support them with resettlement through a programme of training, advocacy, legal advice, information and capacity building.

Support and Advice

We run a confidential advice and support service, which offers information and practical help for refugees. The service is confidential and operates on a drop-in basis for refugees. Much of the advice centres around supporting refugees and asylum-seekers through the various complex assessment procedures and legal processes of the refugee determination process. This area of advice is key to the support we offer as without refugee protection status people are unable to access basic humanitarian support such as healthcare, food and shelter. We work alongside other agencies including governmental, legal bodies and NGOs such as Police, InterAid, the Refugee Law Project, Amnesty International and the Jesuit Refugee Service to ensure cases are resolved quickly. RAP currently supports an urban case-load of refugees and asylum seekers who are newly arrived in Kampala.

Training and Education

We do not see refugees as helpless as some humanitarian agencies perceive it ….many would have held better professional positions before fleeing, even in Uganda, some show great proficiency in different activities while struggling to secure their lives. Therefore, we believe their skills are to be fostered, upgraded where possible to prepare them for reintegration, repatriation or resettlement (Michael Mafabi: Country Co-ordinator - Uganda)

Peace building and managing conflict is an essential part of supporting the integration and resettlement of refugee groups within host communities. PADEAP provides a programme of training which has been developed within the UNHCR framework for training on Peace Education. The training is aimed at both refugees and local community organisations providing services to refugees. The sessions promote constructive and non-violent approaches to peace building both from an individual and a community perspective and cover methods of assimilation, conflict resolution, reconciliation, identity, gender, social justice.

The training also provides an invaluable and rare space for refugees to openly discuss the emotional and physical trauma they have experienced with others who can both empathise and relate to their experiences. Through discussion these groups have built bridges, and developed a greater acceptance and tolerance of each other despite the differences caused by the situations of conflict within their own countries. The training has also helped to develop greater awareness of refugees within the host community.

We offer training in various computer packages including Office, Corel draw, accountancy packages e-mail and internet. Widening access to ICT resources and digital technology is fundamental to helping to redress the digital divide between the North and the South and allows refugees to develop sustainable skills to help with employment, education and empowerment.

Working in partnership with Happy Computers in London, PADEAP have developed the student –centred Train the Trainer methodology in Kampala, delivering courses that fully involves the learners. Over the last 3 years 3 Happy Computers trainers have worked in the PADEAP Uganda office. The partnership is ongoing and PADEAP hopes to offer the course to other organisations in Uganda. Next year PADEAP aims to offer the new Learner Focused Training Conversion course currently being offered by Happy Computers, while continuing the exchange of trainers. Happy Computers has also donated European Computer Driving License (ECDL) online software resources, which will be used to develop the International Computer Driving license (ICDL) that will benefit many refugees in Uganda, offering an internationally recognised qualification.

PADEAP UK provides high quality, professionally refurbished computers for reuse in education, health and not-for-profit organisations in Africa. PADEAP UK ensures complete and secure deletion of all data stored on machines to MoD standard, using Blancoo Software. PADEAP UK will also give feedback on the countries and communities that any donated computers are benefiting.

Capacity-building

This year ten refugee community based organisations, made requests for and received support from PADEAP on organisational development issues. They were provided with training on management, fundraising, report writing, book-keeping, and refugee legal issues. This has included supporting a number of groups to develop partnerships with other groups and access volunteers. We have also been approached by an increasing number of refugees who required help to become economically self-sufficient and set up their own business through activities such tie-dye, sewing and tailoring. PADEAP has also provided Training of Trainer’s computer courses for refugee groups.

Non refugee groups such as Uganda Association for Socio-Economic Progress (USEP) and Uganda Youth Anti-Aids Association (UYAAS) have also benefited from the computer training of trainer’s course.

Supporting women – Women’s rights are Human Rights

Much advocacy is needed to let women stand up for their full involvement and speaking out to society before this war-torn planet becomes completely torn (Refugee woman attending PADEAP workshop March 2005)

PADEAP are actively lobbying at all levels to highlight these issues through events, workshops and public forums. Over the last year, we have been advocating for women to be issued with separate refugee status and ID documentation to protect them from losing their refugee rights in the host country should they experience domestic violence.

Some officers give conditions to the services they provide to women especially sex exchange. Vulnerable widows, young orphans and others find themselves exposed to STDS and HIV because of the harshness of the living. (Refugee woman attending PADEAP workshop, 2005)

Women and men participate and are affected differently by conflict and cope differently. Women have been active agents of peace building and conflict resolution at the local, national, regional, and International level in Africa. The continued empowerment of women through both formal and informal organisations is essential when rebuilding societies affected by conflict. (Tominke Olaniyan, PADEAP)