A gender analysis of income generating activities in selected Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Lira District, Uganda

Abstract

The study carried out a gender analysis of income generating activities in selected camps for internally displaced persons of Lira Primary Seven, Erute Prison and Starch Factory in Lira district. Specifically, it aimed at establishing the sources of capital for the income generating activities of displaced women and men, benefits and challenges of the income generating activities. The motivation was the fact that displacement places a very heavy burden on women as they combine both reproductive and productive roles. The study used a cross sectional design. The study involved 102 female and male respondents; in-depth study was held with 18 key informants who were purposively selected, and 2 focus group discussions (one male and one female) were conducted. The study established that more women (62%) than men (38%) participated in income generating activities; the major source of capital for the income generating activities was personal resources. The most dominated activities were causal labour, vegetable/fruit and petty trade. Participation of displaced men and women in income generating activities contributed towards the welfare of their families and women were empowered. On resettlement, IDPs hoped to do farming, petty trade and handicraft as their major income generating activities. Generally, displaced persons were faced with problems like, lack of capital and land but women in particular were in addition affected by domestic violence and were overburdened. The study recommended the need to provide skills and financial support to men and women in displacement, strengthen their existing income generating initiatives, and support them upon resettlement.