70-Year Old Refugee turns to Small Business for Survival at the Settlement
A 70 years old South Sudanese refugee is earning a living through her small-scale business in Ofua II Rhino camp refugees settlement in Terego district, Northern Uganda following the reduction of food ratio.
Alice Kaded who is a widow and is taking care of her grandchildren who lives with her said she opened the business just to kill boredom as there was nothing else to do at the camp. Besides, she needed the money to buy other essential commodities such as soap, salt, and oil.
Back home in South Sudan, Alice was a farmer who spent most of her time tending to her crops, the bulk of which she used to sell to earn income. She expressed that life at home was good before they were disrupted by war and they had to leave.
Since she has no such opportunity at the settlement to work on the farm the whole day, she and many others have been forced to just idle around the whole day doing nothing, something that she found very uncomfortable.
“With the continued reduction of food ratio, I had to look for something to do to supplement what we get. I, therefore, decided to open this small business where I sell daga fish, tomatoes, onions, and palm oil; I get these products from the main market in Luruja,’’ she explained.
She appeals to the implementing partners to support her little business and to help her build a house as it is done to some of the old refugees in other parts of the settlement.
She appeals to the government of South Sudan to restore peace in the country so that the suffering refugees can return to their country to continue with normal life.
By Gaaniko Samson Jerry
