LWMU

We believe that winning The Elevate Prize would allow us to reach even more vulnerable people (Refugees & forcibly displaced people) in other communities within Uganda through invaluable connections with other change-makers, mentorship opportunities, board recruitment, and revenue support. 

Just as I have grown from my experience as a young boy living near a forcibly displaced persons camp, our desire is to see everyone access the most basic necessities of life as well as empower community members to continue to grow up and support their country. 

In a world that is changing rapidly, insight from other social change makers, industry experts and researchers, can be invaluable. We are applying for the Elevate Price because it’s the type of disruptive philanthropy and support we need right now. 

The Elevate Prize can also help us overcome the barriers related to COVID-19 recovery, the impact of which we do not yet know; help us build out our partnerships and a funding pipeline for our organization as we expand into new communities (private, corporate, and institutional funding); help us strengthen a network of relationships with national funders and partners and turn the corner on a social enterprise model; helping us to leverage our ability to scale our innovative expertise into revenue-generating, mutually beneficial opportunities, such as training others in trauma-informed care and training peer organizations in entrepreneurship-based mentorship best practices. On the media and marketing side, we have assets but not yet the personnel or overarching strategy to best use them and this would place us visibly on a national stage.

Living Water Ministries Uganda (LWMU) is a Christian based NGO which exists to elevate lives in poor Ugandan communities while inspiring change that is
based on the Christian message and values. We are convinced that we could better address the plight of the people in our region and the world around us through coordinated and joint efforts targeting and uplifting the living standards of the people in the community. And that is why we have taken a conscious decision to respond to the wholistic challenges faced by people in our communities to ensure that they live empowered, productive, successful and self-sustainable lives. In our efforts to bring about change and transformation in the lives of communities, we carry out strategic projects that aim at rebuilding the lives of individuals especially the marginalized and forgotten communities.

In 2019, LWMU in partnership with African and Giz piloted an information enriched digital platform that sought to redesign the current humanitarian approach of delivering services and information to conflict/displaced communities. From the traditional humanitarian approach of physical interface with the overwhelming population of the targeted beneficiaries, The project aimed at digitizing socioeconomic opportunities and services to refugee communities. Substantive information would be readily availed to the beneficiaries to enable informed decisions, rewarding solutions, and effective linkages amongst the refugees while stretching to the host communities to enhance productive co-existence. In 2020 when the project iteration, refinement and launch was scheduled to take place, Covid-19 would not make it possible.

This year, building on last year's beneficiary survey feedback on a peace-building project; female and male refugee youth said they would like to learn to respect members from other ethnic groups, but that they would like to improve the functionality of these newly formed relationships through business start-up and management. They said: "We need something to reduce our economic stress in a way that helps us develop socially and economically".

We therefore seek to revamp our project's service model by redesigning the project into an innovative platform that not only provides information but also incorporates providing access to education, opportunity and justice, especially giving children and youth in war-affected communities the chance to reclaim their childhood and break the cycle of poverty and violence specifically among S.Sudan refugees and migrants in Uganda and those in Yei. South Sudan.

In S.Sudan, peace has been compromised at the national level, further exacerbating tensions in Yei and the neighboring villages. Many communities are targeted by political, military, or para-military to mobilize youth groups for their own means. Political fragmentation undermines the peace negotiations and the stability of the country. Prosperity has also suffered by limiting opportunity for investment, sustainable businesses, education, training, or employment. Inflation rates are over 800% with 48% of the population is identified as being in a Crisis and Emergency levels of food insecurity. 

Ethnic conflict in South Sudan predates the country’s independence from Sudan in 2011. These tensions further escalated in 2013, ignited by a political struggle between the President and former Vice-President. As a result, conflict continues to wage resulting in the death of more than 50,000 civilians, displacement of more than 1.5 million and irreparable damage to the economy, agricultural sector and social fabric of society. According to Human Rights Watch, over 2 million South Sudanese children are out of school and more than 70% of the population are illiterate. The third largest town after Juba and Malakal, Yei was at the center of the civil war and bore the brunt of its effects. Young people in Yei face enormous challenges in accessing education, finding work and earning a steady income, compounded by fragile markets and weak governance, leaving them vulnerable to becoming involved in systemic ethnic clashes and violent political struggles.

Our project now is to Design Innovative Pathways to Peace and Prosperity through market-based resilience in Yei South Sudan, and it seeks to help youth in South Sudan map peaceful pathways to prosperity by addressing root drivers of conflict and providing economic opportunity.

The project will integrate mutually reinforcing components of peace building and income generation in an effort to begin to rebuild trust between groups of youth to develop and demonstrate collectively beneficial relationships in the markets and their communities, aimed at linking peace building efforts and cooperation for economic benefits for all. Youth will be provided with the requisite tools and skills to start, scale-up and sustain income generating activities including cash transfers and participation in businesses and savings groups, intentionally comprised of young people from war-affected communities.

Designing Innovative Pathways to Peace and Prosperity through market-based resilience in Yei South Sudan seeks to help youth in South Sudan map peaceful pathways to prosperity by addressing root drivers of conflict and providing economic opportunity.

Livelihood’s training and economic support alone do not always prevent youth from becoming involved in violence; conversely, peace-building alone does not offer youth economic opportunities or reduce poverty in their communities. Some organizations have begun implementing peace building-economic development initiatives for youth, however; cash transfers to youth as a catalyst to peace-building for economic opportunity is not widely practiced. We have been working with conflict-affected populations in Uganda since 2019, providing livelihoods and peace building support to youth and their families. Our project integrates mutually reinforcing components of peace building efforts and positive economic cooperation in an effort to begin rebuilding trust between groups of youth to develop and demonstrate collectively beneficial relationships in the markets and their communities.

Using our diverse skills and networks, we seek to redesign the way socioeconomic opportunities and services in conflict/displaced communities are approached to one in which the affected is able to assess their own needs and work with experts to determine the best way forward. Most importantly, we intend to use the project to redraw the existing power structures within the humanitarian landscape so that the beneficiaries are the primary decision-makers in their own journey to health, safety, and dignified economic independence.

Case Scenario:

Current context and living environment: Maria (25 years old) is the eldest of 5 siblings –3 sisters and 2 brothers. They are living with their mother at the PoC. During the 2013 outbreak of violent conflict in Yei during which Maria lost their father, the family then had no option apart from moving into the PoC for safety and protection. Like many IDPs at the PoC Christina’s family did not know they would stay in such difficult situation in the PoCfor many years. Maria describes the life of youth in PoC as difficult due to lack of livelihood opportunity and therefore is very grateful to us for bring in this project that has now created some hope for better future.

Maria underscored the benefits that the youths have gained through the project as tremendous and uplifting of their spirit. She said that the benefiting youth have managed to change the negative thinking towards other ethnic groups and have begun to appreciate each other. Youth have enjoyed disseminating peace messages to all communities living in the PoC. Maria shared her own story where she experienced very important change in her life. After receiving the cash transfer, she has invited fourteen (14) female other youth to initiate community saving concept. At the end the group accepted the idea and started collecting 1,000 SSP per each that make total amount 15,000 SSP monthly. This money is then given to one person as capital to start business of their choice. Through consensus, the other women agreed that Maria should be the first recipient of the loan. With this loan, Maria is now a proud owner of a tea shop at the PoC.