The Refugee Youth Group Building a New Future in Uganda - GOAL Global Skip to content

The Refugee Youth Group Building a New Future in Uganda

 

June 19, 2025 • 1 min read

In Uganda’s Kyangwali Refugee Settlement, 30 young people formed Peace PELA, a youth group transforming displacement into opportunity. With training from GOAL Uganda and Gudie Leisure Farm, they launched fish farms, a salon, and a tailoring business. Their success now supports over 1,000 youth through skills training and microloans. Despite market and climate challenges, they continue to adapt and expand.

Peace PELA 4

Kyangwali Refugee Settlement, located in western Uganda near the Democratic Republic of the Congo border, hosts thousands of displaced people. Many rely on aid, with few economic opportunities. Peace PELA began in 2022 with minimal savings but a strong drive to change their situation.

From Savings to Success

Peace PELA started with weekly savings of UGX 1,000 (about $0.27) per member. Through GOAL Uganda’s Markets for Youth Programme, participants received training in fish farming, poultry farming, soap-making, and financial management. Their first fishpond, stocked with fingerlings from Gudie Leisure Farm, earned UGX 6.5 million ($1,750) in sales. They reinvested profits into two more ponds, a tailoring business, and a salon, the only one in their area.

Expanding Impact

The group now trains other youth in tailoring and soap-making under paid partnerships with local NGOs. For every cohort of youth trained, the group earns UGX 2,000,000 ($555). They’ve taught over 1,000 peers and built a revolving loan system with UGX 7 million ($1,880) in savings. Half of their annual profits are distributed to members, helping to cover school fees and start individual businesses. “It’s not just about the group, it’s about each person growing,” says chairperson Rachel Baraka.

Overcoming Obstacles

Finding buyers for their fish remains difficult due to high transport costs and low local demand. Climate change also disrupts access to water and feed production. In response, they test solar-powered irrigation and homemade feed. “If one idea stalls, we start another,” Rachel explains. Their next goals include branding their fish and soap products and registering as a formal enterprise.

Peace PELA shows how refugee youth can build sustainable livelihoods, not just through aid, but through collaboration, adaptability, and shared vision.

Learn more about the Markets for Youth programme.