Refugees have started looking at alternatives of survival following the cutting down of food ratios that were being given to them by the World Food Program.
Through different innervations, these refugees have come up with programs like forming groups to venture into vegetable growing and savings group as they seek to bridge the gap brought about by the food cuts.

Recently, the World Food Program embarked on the food prioritization Assistance Program among the refugee communities. The program saw the food ratios the refugees were receiving from the International organization reduced.

Under this program, the refugees were categorized into three categories. The first category will receive 60 per cent of the food assistance; the second category will receive 40 per cent and the third category will not receive any food assistance.

Emily Doe, the World Food Program area head for South West says the categorization exercise will see those who have the means of supporting themselves weaned off from the program.
This, however, has left several refugees in the settlement communities stuck since they are no longer receiving any food or the food they are receiving is no longer enough for them and their families.

In fact, in Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement Camp in Kyegegwa district, the camp commander says most of the refugees are starving since their food ratios were either reduced or cut off completely.

This has forced the refugees to find alternatives to survival as they seek to bridge the gap brought by the food cuts from the World Food Organization. 
In the Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement camp in Kamwengye district, the refugees have formed a group focused on commercial vegetable growing with a view of overcoming the food shortage and taking advantage of the fertile land surrounding the settlement.

With a total number of 28  members, these have since formed a group called the Agriculture Development Association. With support from local authorities and humanitarian organizations, the members were able to secure land within the settlement. 
The members not only grew vegetables for their consumption but also started selling the surplus to neighbouring communities. 

The income generated from the sales were reinvested into expanding their agricultural endeavors.
Tulia Moris a member of the group says this helped them to start earning money which was not been the case before.

As the income started coming in, the members developed an idea of initiating a savings program that would serve as the foundation for their shared dreams.

As their savings grew, the group began offering small loans to its members, these loans would later help members to start their gardens through purchasing seeds.
According to the members, the Village Loans and Savings Group has not only helped them survive but enabled them to thrive in the face of adversity.

The developments from the group members attracted the attention of Non-Governmental organizations who also came in to support them. 

One of the organizations is Kabarole Research and Resource Center which came in and secured 10 acres from landlords where these members can expand their farming.
David Mugara, the head of Governance and policy advocacy at KRC Uganda says the prioritization program by the World Food Program created a lot of psychological stress among the refugees.

In the end, the refugees of Rwamwanja had not only bridged the gap left by food cuts but had also built a sustainable community that thrived on the principles of collaboration and resilience. 

Home to more than 70,000 refugees, the 2022 statistics from UNHCR indicate that the Rwamwanja Refugee settlement hosts 81,915 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, 327 from Rwanda, 123 from South Sudan,47 from Burundi, 12 from Somalia, 7 from Kenya while countries of Tanzania, Central African Republic and Eritrea each has two refugees in the same settlement camp.