Uganda hosts over 1.5 million refugees; more than 80,000 live in Kampala, where they normally support themselves. These urban refugees are expected to be self-reliant and do not receive regular humanitarian assistance, in line with the government’s urban refugee policy. Many urban refugees are not able to afford food and rent.

On 1st September 2019 charitable funding was donated from the private funds of John and Andrea Clamp. Dr Eugene Kinyanda and a Ugandan team of peer counsellors, a clinical psychologist, and psychiatric clinical officer, with the support of Dr Penelope Clamp, Psychiatrist (sister of John and Andrea Clamp) and Dr Helen Liebling, Clinical Psychologist, were then able to start running the CLAMP (Community WeLlbeing and Mental Health Project among Refugees in Uganda) project.

The CLAMP project provides much needed emotional well-being support for urban refugees in Kampala, (see photos of refugees at the project with staff above).

The CLAMP project is successfully assisting large numbers of refugees through counselling, resilience building and social enterprises. Group counselling provided by peer counsellors who are trained refugees, has been particularly helpful (see photo above of refugee and staff peer counselling training review meeting). Refugees have fed back they are grateful to have the CLAMP project services which are very well utilised.

Some of the refugees have started social enterprise groups including soap making and Ugandan traditional dressmaking (see photo above of social enterprise group). The CLAMP refugee project was going well until COVID affected its smooth running for several months; including the loss of the venue where the project was being held and extreme poverty and health challenges in the Country. Despite the negative impact of COVID, the project has re-started and is progressing well. Unfortunately, the 2-year funding is coming to an end this year.

We would be very grateful for any donations for the valued CLAMP project to continue to support refugees and hopefully extend to the rural areas as well as sustaining and growing refugee social enterprise groups, providing counselling and well-being support.

Please read more about the CLAMP project and urban refugees in Uganda by clicking the links below:

https://apro-ug.com/about-clamp-refugees-uganda-project/

https://seefar.org/wp-content/uploads/Seefar-Empowering-Ugandas-forgotten-refugees-.pdf

https://www.unhcr.org/uk/news/briefing/2020/5/5eccbfec4/urban-refugees-struggling-survive-economic-impact-covid-19-worsens-east.html