Kampala, Uganda: Kampala for All – Safety Nets for Recovery

In 2021, the City of Kampala, Uganda, was selected as a grantee of the Global Cities Fund for Migrants and Refugees (GCF), the MMC’s instrument to channel international funding directly to cities to implement inclusive projects of their own design. 

With support from the GCF, the City of Kampala provided vital socioeconomic support to over 400 refugees, migrants, and low-income essential workers during the pandemic, including direct cash assistance, skills training, seed funding for entrepreneurship, and school tuition scholarships.

Uganda is home to approximately 1.5 million registered refugees, making it one of the largest refugee-hosting nations in the world. An estimated 120,000 refugees live in Kampala alone. In the wake of Uganda’s Covid-19 lockdowns, schools across the country remained closed for nearly two years — the longest interruption in education stemming from the pandemic anywhere in the world. Furthermore, many migrants and refugees in Kampala, reliant on informal daily wages for income, fell into extreme poverty as services were cut or reduced due to a tightening of government budgets.

Kampala used the GCF grant to provide socioeconomic support to over 400 refugees, migrants, and low-income frontline workers during the pandemic. 

To implement this project, the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) partnered with Makasi Rescue Foundation (MRF), a refugee-led organization. Working together, KCCA and MRF delivered cash assistance to 400 migrants and other vulnerable Ugandans and covered school fees for 50 refugee students, most of them girls. Additionally, the project provided skills training in auto-mechanics, cosmetology, and dressmaking to over 30 entrepreneurs. The project provided these entrepreneurs seed funding to launch their own micro-enterprises and helped them register these businesses in Kampala. 

Through its GCF project, Kampala provided vital support to those hit hardest by the pandemic’s economic toll. 

By delivering cash assistance to 400 refugees, migrants, and low-income frontline workers, the project strengthened social safety nets for individuals who lost access to their livelihoods during Covid-19 lockdowns. 

The project also helped provide much-needed financial relief for families and youth. By covering the cost of school fees, meals, and materials for 50 refugee youth, KCCA and MRF not only helped marginalized students stay in school but also gave families the opportunity to save and budget for the upcoming school year. 

The impact of Kampala’s project went far beyond its support services for clients. In working with the MRF, the project created an all-too-rare partnership between a city government and refugee-led organization. This partnership elevated migrant voices and leadership, demonstrating the city’s commitment to an inclusive pandemic response.