Clodine's Story: How skills and assetsare restoring hope in refugees in Southwest Uganda

Image: ©ASVI Foundation

The road to resilience is rarely straight. For Clodine Hategekimana, it has been marked by loss, learning, and the quiet determination to begin again—no matter how many times the
odds reset. In 2011, Clodine, then a young mother, fled Burundi with her husband and son as insecurity escalated. They arrived at Nakivale Refugee Settlement in southwestern Uganda with little more than hope. For ten months, the reception center became their temporary home, and survival meant taking on any menial work they could find.

A year later, their refugee status was formalized, and they were allocated a small plot of land 100 by 100 feet in Nakivale. It was a fresh start, but not an easy one. Determined to build a livelihood, Clodine and her husband pooled their limited resources and invested in piggery. With no prior experience or technical knowledge, the venture quickly faltered. Two pigs died, and the returns barely covered their investment. What began as a hopeful step toward self-reliance turned into yet another setback.

Image: ©AVSI Foundation

But Clodine’s story didn’t end there. In 2025, she joined the AVSI Foundation, Dutch funded Connecting Youth to Gainful Entrepreneurship programme. This marked a turning point—not just for her business, but an overhaul of her mindset. Through the programme, Clodine became part of a Village Saving and Loans Association, gaining access to financial services and a supportive peer network. More importantly, she received hands-on training in piggery management,
financial literacy, and entrepreneurship—paired with personalised business coaches that helped her turn theory into practice.

With renewed confidence and practical skills, Clodine began again—this time with a stronger foundation. In November 2025, as part of the programme’s graduation pathway into entrepreneurship, she received a package of productive assets: four improved-breed pigs, 700kg of feed, a 2,000-litre water tank, and a four-pen pigsty that doubles as a community demonstration site for other young farmers.

The results were almost immediate and bittersweet. One of the pigs gave birth to 11 piglets, a promising sign of growth. But harsh weather conditions as a result of a heatwave that affected the majority of the farmer coupled with severe water scarcity led to the loss of 10 piglets.

For many, this would have been another breaking point. But for the duo, it was another lesson. Access to water remains one of Clodine’s biggest challenge. While the water tank provided by the project has helped her harvest and store rainwater—reducing operational costs especially during prolonged dry spells, she is forced to purchase water, eating into her profits. “The tank has reduced our costs and helped us to become more resilient,” she explains. “Before, we had no fallback at all.”
“This programme has been a defining moment for us,” Clodine shares. “I now know how to rear pigs properly, differentiate breeds, and construct a pig sty. I have also learnt teamwork, financial management, my savings have grown, and I have even started poultry farming to diversify my income.”
Her next step is strategic expansion: selling off lower-yield local breeds and investing in highervalue pig varieties that are more efficient to feed and fetch better prices in the market. She also plans to expand her pigsty by adding six more units, increasing her capacity to at least 10 pigs. With this growth, she projects producing up to 90 piglets every four months, translating into an estimated income of UGX 9 million per cycle.

When young people are equipped beyond assets, but armed with practical skills, consistent mentorship, and access to inclusive financial systems, they exceed survival and into pathways of productivity, resilience, and sustainable economic growth. Clodine’s story reflects the goal of the Youth Connect programme one that aligns with the Government of Uganda’s development agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).

Stories of Y-Connect

This story is part of a series highlighting AVSI Foundation's Y-Connect program, which is funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Uganda. Content, text, and photos are provided by AVSI Foundation. The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Uganda and the Government of the Netherlands are not responsible for the content and do not necessarily endorse the views expressed.

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