The story of Achai sheds light on both the human tenacity for survival and the holistic approach that is required to push people out of poverty.
34-year-old Achai Aleu Monica found herself tasked with providing for a household of nine when her husband passed away. Around this time, she also had to flee her home in South Sudan and move to the Rhino refugee settlement in Uganda.
The move to Kiriaduoko village in the Rhino camp gave Monica and her family temporary respite but she was soon face-to-face with a new set of challenges – scarcity of food, and limited access to healthcare.
But Monica was not one to give up. After all, she left everything she was ever familiar with in South Sudan for a shot at a better life. Word-of-mouth conversations informed Monica of an opportunity to attend training sessions where she could learn new skills, at the end of which, she would receive a monthly stipend, and some livestock to give her the “push” she needed out of extreme poverty.
Monica made sure she attended all the training sessions. In the end, she got four goats, five hens and a consumption stipend of UGX 140,000 for four months. Meanwhile, one of her children started attending the humanitarian play lab near their home.
While Monica worked during the day time, her child learned and healed through play. According to Monica, her child has not only shown improvement in their numeracy and literacy skills but now also has better self-regulation skills and emotional understanding as well.
“I was so focused on bringing food to the table that I did not have any time for my children. But over time, I started going to meetings with parents of other children who attended the play lab and found that something as simple as playing with my children can help in their cognitive development,” said Monica.
Things are slowly starting to look up for Monica if her growing livestock is to be taken as proof. She now has eight goats, 27 hens and has also purchased a duck, which has since hatched 16 ducklings. She also took out a micro-loan of UGX 30,000 from her Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) and has now set up a small business. Monica now wants to continue saving money to support her children’s education. She wants to eventually purchase a plot of land in Uganda to expand her farming activities and build a larger home for her family.
