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United Families Make Fruitful Fields: How AVSI makes refugees “protagonists” of their own development in Uganda

At AVSI we say that we want to make people “protagonists” of their own development. Here I saw a real example. These people, with all of their intersecting vulnerabilities, anxieties, scars and poverties, found a place where they could come together and be seen. This relationship, offered in a peaceful place, unlocked their learning potential. They were empowered to reconsider their preconceptions, and not to stop at reconsidering, but to actually apply their learning to their own families and relationships.

“Transitioning from Graduation to Resilience” Virtual Learning Event

The USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance funded Graduating to Resilience Activity held a two-hour virtual learning event on the 13th of April 2023: “Transitioning from Graduation to Resilience.” The event was part of USAID’s Agency Learning and Evidence Month, where the 7-year livelihoods program presented learnings from its first cohort of implementation to an audience of about 160+ virtual participants following invitations to a wider cross-section of partners in the Uganda Government, nonprofit, multilateral, and private sectors.

Peace Besime and Nsanze Sepiria: A couple’s story of resilience in Kamwenge, Uganda

We share a couple’s story of resilience. Peace Besime and Nsanze Sepiria were struggling after years of failed farming ventures, they could barely pay for their basic needs (medical expenses, school dues for their five children, and the construction of a decent shelter). Thankfully, they were introduced to the Graduating to Resilience Activity funded by USAID (led by AVSI Foundation, in partnership with American Institute for Research and Trickle Up). Peace and Nsanze were empowered with practical tools: goal setting, business coaching, good agronomic practices, and even more; finally, their voyage to self-reliance began!

The story of Florence: Coaching and livelihood trainings help families in Southwestern Uganda achieve their goals

We tell the story of Florence, 42 years old and the mother of nine children, just one of the 6,824 households actively involved in the USAID-funded Graduating to Resilience Activity in Kamwenge District, Southwestern Uganda.

Florence’s children had no access to quality education, and in and out of their school since she had no money to pay for their fees. Worse, the family couldn’t afford to feed the children with nutritious meals and their health was in disarray. Florence’s hopes of guiding her children to a bright future appeared dim.

Graduating to Resilience Summit Brings Together More than 200 participants to Celebrate the Success of Cohort One

AVSI-USA hosted a hybrid, full-day, learning summit with the Society for International Development, US Chapter (SID-US) on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, in Washington, DC. The Summit marked an important milestone as AVSI concluded Cohort One activities of the Graduating to Resilience Activity, funded by USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA). Held the week of #WorldRefugeeDay, the Summit was a celebration of our participants, who are the inspiration of our work.

Women building livelihoods through farming

Twenty-five farmers, including nineteen women, came together to cultivate crops in their “Bitojjo-Tukorenamani” which means “Let’s Work Hard” Farmer Field Business School. Before joining the school, their harvests barely had any financial impact on their livelihood; they were mostly for home consumption. When they began receiving training in modern farming practices, their motivation grew. The USAID Graduating to Resilience Activity offers service bundles that include seeds, training and linkages to markets.

How graduating to resilience supported refugees and communities needs during covid-19

2020 may not have been the year we dreamed of, nor did we see it coming. But it will most certainly be one we will never forget. Everyone around the world had to re-adjust to a new way of life. Millions lost their livelihoods and shelter, struggling to make ends meet; millions lost their loved ones. We at AVSI have also lost one of our dear colleagues and friends.

Charlotte and aime lead a new life in uganda thanks to graduating to resilience

Charlotte Bahati, 36 years old, is scaling up her business. Thanks to the training received from AVSI Foundation, in a few months, she has gone from selling only silverfish to harvesting a more considerable amount of crops, and a new poultry farm. Charlotte can now raise a healthy family and is letting go of her past marred by huge losses after she fled her home country, the Democratic Republic of Congo.