Returning to their homeland after war, women in Uganda work to regain their home and their land
In 2005, at least 1.8 million northern Ugandans (more than 80% of the population) were living in IDP camps. By March of this year, only 73,000 were still living in the camps.
This means the vast majority have all returned home to rebuild their lives.
But since Ugandan customary law does not allow women to own land without a male relative, and tens of thousands of women lost their male relatives in the war, what home are these displaced women and girls returning to? They aren’t – they are currently landless, and even homeless.
Landesa stepped in about one year ago, partnering with a local NGO to pilot a program that guides women through planning their own strategy for acquiring land and tenure security. The model was successful in post-war western Uganda and we hope success of the northern Uganda pilot with 250 women will allow it to be replicated throughout the region, helping thousands more displaced women an girls build stronger and more secure futures.