1. HISTORY South Sudanese Women Building Association (SSWBA) is Non-governmental, Non-profit making, Women centred Association engaged in relief/humanitarian initiatives to support South Sudanese women residing in Bweyale in and outside the settlement. SSWBA was formed by a group of refugee volunteers in Kiryadongo Refugee many of whom were affected by impacts of Gender injustices. It emerged as a self help group to support their members socially <(>&<)> economically to cope with the impacts of gender injustices and conditions of refugee living in general in the settlement. Through various demand driven <(>&<)> human cantered programs, SSWBA has been able to transition from a self help group formed in 2018 to an Association and later as a Community Based Organization, Women Led RLO registered with Kiryandongo District Local Government in 2022. Interventions of SSWBA focus on Participatory Integrated Development (PICD) approach tthrough harnessing IDEAS, INNOVATION and INVESTMENT and leaving no one behind so thatthe women become self-reliant and are able to meet their basic needs and contribute positively towards a sustainable society through various approaches for household Gender Integration. 2. ACHIEVEMENTS Generally, SSWBA invests in the capacity of the women thereby building community capacity through a self-help approach (Mara Suja) that focusses on attitude/mindset change, self-reliance (doing it ourselves), visioning, strategic action planning, fulfilment strategies <(>&<)> action towards an all-inclusive relief <(>&<)> development process that thecommunities fully contribute to (re-engineer), own and lead so that solutions are desirable, technically feasible <(>&<)> economically viable. The principle of Mara Suja is that the communities who face the different challenges know about them better and are best placed to generate effective solutions and address their own challenges. Mara Suja further believes that the communities have the resources, ideas <(>&<)> the power to transform except have constraints <(>&<)> vulnerabilities hence Mara Suja unlocks community potentials and facilitates the change process by addressing the constraints <(>&<)> vulnerabilities. Mara Suja has created a comprehensive vision strategy that builds on Economic Empowerment, Gender <(>&<)> Human rights interventions,Women<(>&<)> girls leadership, Peaceful co-existence, Functional Adult Literacy as well as environmental conservation through training on energy sources. Our targetgroup among others include; Women, Girls, OVC, Children, Youth and Most at Risk Populations (MAP). To achieve all this, the following are some of the interventions successfully accomplished: -  About 35 women trained on VSLA and three saving groups were formed all with Management committee composed of women (Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Counters and Key holders) with each group provided with saving boxes and booklets, this was made possible through support from Widows and Orphans Charitable Organisation (WOCO) South Sudan.  Organized workshops on peace dissemination in which 40 church leaders, youth leaders and women groups were brought together, this was a move to bringing lasting peace in South Sudan.  105 women and girls trained on hand skills on how to make hand bagsand liquid soap, this was made possible through contributions from members of the organization.  48 women and girls were enrolled and actively participated in literacy class (learning English).  80 people including community’s leaders, religious leaders, youthsand women leaders attended one-day workshop, a peacedissemination program aimed at bringing peaceful coexistence among the different communities from South Sudan, disseminating the leaders on the main objectives of the R-ARCS agreement and enabling them to own it. This program was organised by SSWBA underthe auspice of the Network of South Sudan Civil Society Organisations in Uganda (NOSSCOU)with funding from Konrad Adenauer Stifftung (KAS) Uganda and South Sudan.  Participated in the African Summit 2019 on the role of refugee’s leaders in promoting and advocating for refugees’ participation and self-representation inclusion organized by Global Refugee Led Organisation Network in Addis Ababa.  Provided awareness to the different saving groups on the SOPS as far as Covid 19 is concerned, teaching them on the signs and symptoms of corona virus.  Trained 95 women on trauma healing in Bweyale Town Council as means of overcoming the shocks due to corona virus.  Promoted the Covid-19 vaccination campaign themed “Covid-19 vaccine is safe, itsaves life” in Kiryandongo refugee settlement in health centres such as Panyadoli health centre III, Panyadoli Hill centre II and Nyakadot health centre II under the auspice of Refugee Led Organisation Network (RELON UGANDA) with support from Oxfam.  60 Women from both the refugees and the host trained on hand skills how to make briquettes including SSWBA staffs, this training helps in conserving the environment as well as provision of cheap energy sources for cooking for the women. The training was possible withsupport from Oxfam through RELON Uganda.  Conducted joint community dialogue in Magamaga and cluster K in partnership with CTEN in which 50women were in attendance, the dialogue was as a means of hearing the concerns from the women and how to tackle such challenges related to peaceful co-existence with support from UNHCR. 3. INSTITUTIONAL PURPOSE Vision: A community where women have efficient human capacities <(>&<)> good quality of life for Sustainable Development. Mission: To Empower the women in and outside the settlement for positive Socio-Economic Development. Goal: To deliver developmental and empowerment programs and activities that promote women, girls and youths through simple <(>&<)> practical approaches. Core values: ● Transparency and accountability, act in open and responsible manners and taking responsibilities of all omissions and commissions when executing its mandates. ● Integrity: Promote honesty, truthfulness, maintaining social ethical and organisational norms firmly adhering to codes of conduct and ethical principles. ● Humility: “True humility is not thinking less of yourself. It is thinking of yourself less”. This is an organizational virtue that enables us to see the world as it is with all the challenges hurting it. ● Audacity: - “We have a dream, we have a vision, we have a mission, we have to do something, we will do it at this time”. This organizational virtue enables us to imagine how the ideal world should be. ● Courage: - “Courage doesn’t mean you don’t get afraid; it means you don’t let fear stop you” This organizational virtue makes us boldly create the change we envision. Principle objectives ● To provide humanitarian and charitable support, empower women, girls and youth and provide emergency humanitarianassistance to the best of its abilities. ● To mobilize resources to support and empower women, girls and youth through its various activities so that they become self-reliantt and contribute positively towards a sustainable community. ● To aadvocate and promote gender equality and empower women and girls by removing any barriers that prevent their full participation in society. ● To promote reduction of Sexual Gender-Based violence in households and gender equality in our processes. ● To promote peaceful co-existence among the women, between refugees, between refugees <(>&<)> host communities in thesettlement, the District, Uganda and abroad. ● To contribute to improvement of behavior/mindset change activities, community mobilisation, awareness creation,radio spots, health education, behaviour change campaigns, family planning education, fight against HIV/AIDS. Field(s) of activity: Economic Empowerment: Engagement of women and girls in socio-economic empowerment programs e.g., Agriculture, Vocational Skills Training, Business Skills Development, Financial Literacy, Life Skills Development, Income generating activities, formation of VSLA groups and training on micro finance. ● Gender <(>&<)> Human rights interventions through reducing Gender Based Violence, Menstrual Hygiene Management, Women Safe spaces, Women Groups. ● Women/Girl leadership through promotion of Good governance, Women involvement in planning, budgeting, budget management, local leadership and other decision-making processes. ● Peacefulco-existence through promoting peace building, conflict transformation, conflict sensitive programming, promoting Do No Harm Approaches among the women and the refugee population, refugees <(>&<)> Host Communities. ● Functional Adult Literacy through promotion of Family Basic Education, Promotion of Numeracy <(>&<)> Literacy among Women <(>&<)> Girls. ● Energy and environmental conservation, through training women on cheap and environmentally friendly energy sources such as briquettes, home centred energy stoves. • Others - specify Areas of operation: SSWBAU operates in the refugee <(>&<)> host communities in Kiryadongo refugee settlement. 4. STRATEGIC POSITIONING As of the 2014 census, there are over 266,197 residents in the Kiryandongo District, and based onrecords provided by the UNHCR and OPM (Office of the Prime Minister), there are more than 100,000 asylum seekers and refugees living in KiryandongoRefugee Settlement. This includes Ugandan IDPs, Bududa survivors from Mbale landslide of 2010, and Congolese, Kenyan, and South Sudanese refugees, who are the main target population for this project. There are also refugees from Burundi and Rwanda. The refugee community has increased lately due to push factors in refugees’ countries of origin, especially South Sudan. Push factors include violence, financial instability, famine, lack of reliable services, etc. According to UNHCR statistics, there were 19,730 new South Sudanese arrivals in Kiryandongo between July 1, 2016 and September 25, 2016. The influx of South Sudanese refugees has led to the closure of the settlement to new arrivals, since it cannot accommodate more people. However, numbers continue to increase, mainly due tofamily members being reunited. Children and mothers constitute about 80% of the settlement’s population. Despite Uganda’s progressive refugee policy allowing refugees to start businesses, own property and seek employment, at least 80% of Uganda’s refugees live below the International poverty line of $1.90 per day. A 2018 surveyby UNHCR found that refugee households tended to be less resilient compared to their hosts due to limited diversification of sources of income, limited productive assets, limited varieties of cropsgrown. Besides, the women, children are more vulnerable to shocks. Furthermore, they are more prone to gender injustices yet impacts of COVID 19 Compounded this as there was a drastic rise in GBV, Teenage pregnancies, dropout rates among an array of social ills that impacts women, girls, children disproportionately. he Kiryandongo refugee settlement comprises 54,977 refugees (approximately 10,000 households). The settlement is located on 27 square miles of land adjacent to the town of Bweyale in Kiryandongo District near the major highwaythat runs from Kampala to Gulu (see Figure 3).[8] The Kiryandongo area had previously been aresettlement area for refugees eeing the Mau Mau conict in Kenya in 1950s.[16] Subsequently the region became part of a cattle ranching area created by the Idi Amin government. This legacy lives on in the names of the three sections of the camp (Figure 3). The area was then re-assigned by the current government in the 1990s to settle members of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) who had ed across the Ugandan border from Parajok in Torit. By 1992, the allocation of plots of land was initiated and families began to build homes and plant crops.[16] The camp was then closed to new refugees in 1995. The settlement was reopened in 2014 to accommodate the huge inux of refugees eeing the 2013 conict in SouthSudan. Like all refugee settlements in Uganda, Kiryandongo is governed by the OPM and UNHCR. Twenty-twoadditional multilateral and non- governmental organisations also support refugees in the settlement. Host Communities The Kiryandongo District of Uganda has a population of approximately 317,500. The area is poorer than the national average, with the majorityof households (80%) earning their livelihood from subsistence farming (although 91% have other non-agricultural household- based enterprises).[17] Forty-two percent of adults over 18 years are illiterate and only 12.5% have access to electricity; 23% of households are more than 5 km from a public or private health facility.[17] In Kiryandongo, as in other refugeesettlements in Uganda, the OPM, UNHCR, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and non-governmental organisations provide basic services such as security, clean water and food to newly arrived refugees. Health facilities and schools are also located in the settlements. In poor districts this can result in refugees receiving better health, education, and security services than residents of local Ugandan host communities. As a result of this potential for inequities, the Ugandan government requires any refugee support programmes and activities by non-governmental organisations to allocate a minimum of 30% of support for local host communities. All health facilities and schools established in the refugee settlement must also be accessible to host community members he Kiryandongo refugee settlement comprises 54,977 refugees (approximately 10,000 households). The settlement is located on 27 square miles of land adjacent to the town of Bweyale in Kiryandongo District near the major highway that runs from Kampala to Gulu (see Figure 3).[8] The Kiryandongo area had previously been a resettlement area for refugees eeing the Mau Mau conict in Kenya in 1950s.[16] Subsequently the region became part of a cattle ranching area created by the Idi Amin government. This legacy lives on in the names of the three sections of the camp (Figure 3). The area was then re-assigned by the current government in the 1990s to settle members of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) who had ed across the Ugandan border from Parajok in Torit. By 1992, the allocation of plots of land was initiated and families began to build homes and plant crops.[16] The camp was then closed to new refugees in 1995. The settlement was reopened in 2014 to accommodate the huge inux of refugees eeing the 2013 conict in South Sudan. Like all refugee settlements in Uganda, Kiryandongo is governed by the OPM and UNHCR. Twenty-two additional multilateral and non- governmental organisations also support refugees in the settlement. Host Communities The Kiryandongo District of Uganda has a population of approximately 317,500. The area is poorer than the national average, with the majority of households (80%) earning their livelihood from subsistence farming (although 91% have other non-agricultural household- based enterprises).[17] Forty-two percent of adults over 18 years are illiterate and only 12.5% have access to electricity; 23% of households are more than 5 km from a public or private health facility.[17] In Kiryandongo, as in other refugee settlements in Uganda, the OPM, UNHCR, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and non-governmental organisations provide basic services such assecurity, clean water and food to newly arrived refugees. Health facilities and schools are also located in the settlements. In poor districts this can result in refugees receiving better health, education, and security services than residents of local Ugandan host communities. As a result of this potential for inequities, the Ugandan government requires any refugee support programmesand activities by non-governmental organisations to allocate a minimum of 30% of support for local host communities. All health facilities and schools established in the refugee settlement must also be accessible to host community members SSWBA is registered with Kiryandongo District Local Government. Registration Number CD/5158 and the structure SSWBA consist of Annual General Assembly, Governing Board, Executive Director who is the head of management unit, Programs Manager, other seniorlevel, mid-level, support <(>&<)> field staff. The organization has a very strong community relationship <(>&<)> stakeholder collaboration with the District <(>&<)> Sub County Local Governments Bweyale Towncouncil, OPM, UNHCR, Settlement structures of Kiryadongo Refugee Settlement through our 5 years presence in the settlement. We have well laid community structures for community access. The Government has provided a stable environment in terms of peace, security <(>&<)> stability coupled with an enabling policy frameworkthat enhances a collaborative relationship between SSWBA and the different key humanitarian partners in the settlement.