When Harriet Drakuru completed her diploma in Social Work and Social Administration at Uganda Christian University’s Arua campus in 2022, she expected to begin her career in an office.
Instead, she returned home to Jue Village Point E in Imvepi refugee settlement and began sending out job applications that never received a response.
“I kept checking my phone every day. At some point, I stopped expecting calls and email alerts from potential employers, then I had to ask myself what else I could do to earn a living.” Harriet recalls.
Rather than remain idle, she went back to the one resource available to her land.
From Survival Farming to Business Thinking
Before joining the Refugee and Host Community Youth Empowerment and Transformation Initiative implemented by DanChurchAid in partnership with Muni University and other consortium partners, Harriet grew cassava and groundnuts mainly for food. Whatever remained was sold.
“It was farming, but not business; I planted cassava and groundnuts, which we usually plant at home. I didn’t make so much profit, because I was never mindful of market demand,” she explains.
From half an acre of cassava and groundnuts, she earned approximately UGX 2,700,000 per season, much of which supported household consumption rather than income generation.
However, everything changed when she enrolled in a three-month horticulture training under the programme, supported by the Mastercard Foundation.
Learning to Plan, Not Just Plant
During the training, Harriet was introduced to nursery preparation, crop spacing, pest control, and seasonal production planning. But beyond technical skills, she began to see farming differently.
“I learned that before planting, you must already know who will buy the produce,” she says. “Now I calculate my expected harvest and compare it with market prices, because I plant with a plan.”
Using savings from her Youth Savings and Loans Association, she also expanded her land from half an acre to one acre, a 50% increase in cultivated area. Harriet also shifted to cultivating tomatoes and eggplants.
Today, she harvests approximately 2,500 kilograms of tomatoes and 1,200 kilograms of eggplants per season, generating UGX 4,380,000 in the previous season. Her income has increased by 62% since transitioning to horticulture as a commercial enterprise.
“With one acre, I now earn more than I did before, and this time, it is real income, and I also have the liberty to decide how to use it,” Harriet says.
She reinvests at least 22% of her profits into buying seeds, land rental, and other farm inputs to sustain production.
Earning, Contributing, Deciding
The shift has changed more than her income. Harriet now consistently contributes to household expenses and takes part in financial decisions at home, something she says was not always the case.
“When you bring income to the table, people listen to you differently,” she says. “I feel more confident discussing family plans because I am contributing.”
She sells her produce directly within her village and nearby zones in the settlement, supplying fresh vegetables to households within walking distance. This reduces transport costs for buyers while ensuring steady demand for her harvest.
During peak season, she supplies multiple households each week, maintaining a reliable cash flow.
Thinking Beyond the Current Season
Harriet is already planning her next step, which is seedling production, for other farmers who do not have access to organic seeds.
“I want to produce seedlings for other farmers,” she explains. “If they can access good seedlings nearby, they can also improve their yields, and I can increase my planting cycles.”
Although her main challenge is access to water for production, Harriet currently transports water from distant sources to irrigate her crops, a time-consuming process that limits expansion.
“If I had reliable irrigation, I could increase production by almost 80%,” she estimates.
A Broader Programme that’s creating Impact
The Refugee and Host Community Youth Empowerment and Transformation Initiative equip young people aged 15–35 with business, life, and practical skills to support their transition into employment or enterprise across 15 districts.
To date, DanChurchAid Uganda has trained 10,777 young people in Yumbe, Koboko, and Terego districts, including refugees, persons with disabilities, and host community youth.
For Harriet, the programme provided more than technical training. It shifted her approach from subsistence farming to structured enterprise.
“I no longer wait for opportunities, I create them with what I have,” she says.
About the project
- Title: Refugee and Host Community Youth Empowerment and Transformation Initiative (RETI)
- Period: June 2023 – May 2027
- Partners: The program is being implemented through a consortium of nine partners: Muni University, Gulu University and Bishop Stuart University and Finn Church Aid, DanChurchAid, Community Empowerment for Rural Development, PALM Corps, Meeting Point Kitgum, and Young African Refugees for Integral Development.
- Theme: Building Resilience
- Amount: 27,350,000 USD
- Outreach: 100,000 (60,000 female)
- Donor: Mastercard Foundation
