When DCA Nepal decided to deploy me for an
official mission to Uganda, there was no bound of my happiness. It’s not only because
a new country was adding in my list, but for an expectation of new leanings
and experiences that I’d be gathering from this new venture. This is my second
mission in the African Region. In 2012, I spent almost three weeks in South
Africa for a Local Economic Development course, but this mission seems to be
little different.
Beneficiaries
Satisfaction
It’s been almost two years since I joined DCA
under the capacity of livelihood officer for earthquake recovery project. In
the past two years I have seen people making significant change in their
livelihood with the support from DCA. I have spent more than a decade, of my
professional time in rural Nepal with various organizations. As a development
professional, the only thing we want to see is happiness on the faces of
beneficiaries after their dreams come true. We are not just supporting with seed
money to start entrepreneurship but also to guide them and show a path towards
sustainability. 
With
Different Beneficiaries
Since the beginning of the 1990s, the Ugandan
economy has improved radically. The government is attempting reforms in order
to achieve economic stability and has privatized several public companies. Corruption is widespread in Uganda and it
affects the poorest part of the population heavily. The situation here in
Uganda is pretty similar to Nepal. We get to hear and see such news everyday. Now,
I am in Northern Uganda at Yumbe district, where many South Sudanese refugees
are being hosted by the Uganda’s government. Office of the Prime Minister (OPM)
and UNHCR is officially leading the process of refugee registration and
settlement processes. DCA and many other international organizations are
operating their mission in Yumbe with the help of OPM-UNHCR’s coordination.
I have been involved in the humanitarian
response activities to the South Sudanese refugees in Bidibidi Settlement in
Yumbe, Uganda for leading the cash based livelihood intervention
and
develop interventions, market linkages, income generating activities, cash for
work, and skills training package for the project among others. The role is
almost similar to what I was doing in Nepal except the beneficiaries are
different. Refugees are having a tough time here and we humanitarian workers
are trying to make their life easier. My role doesn’t
end here. It also includes to identify opportunities for market based
livelihood options linking refugees with the host populations, develop training programs for
implementing team to assist the families in developing new skills, as well as
their traditional skills to establish alternative livelihood options and develop
livelihood strategies for livelihood programs. Finally, I have been granted this opportunity to learn and grow both professionally and personally. It’s an honor to be a part of the DCA Uganda Team and so thankful to everyone who supported to make this happen.