Stakeholders’ Interventions in Addressing Financial Constraints Restricting Women Refugees Access to Higher Education: The Case of Bidibidi Refugee Settlement, Uganda

Abstract

Financial constraints to women refugees is one of the major barriers to access to higher education which is exacerbated by multiple intersecting disadvantages of refugeehood. Even when the benefits of higher education access are crucial to enable refugee women to fulfil their potential, rebuild disrupted liveslives, and facilitate durable solutions. There exist barriers to higher education access. Specifically, this article focuses on stakeholders’ interventions in addressing financial constraints that obstruct women refugees in Uganda from accessing higher education. The study was carried out in Bidibidi Refugee Settlement in Northern Uganda. The study used the qualitative research approach, anchored in the advocacy world view using intersectionality with liberal feminist perspective as a philosophical lens. Using purposive and snowball sampling, 49 participants took part in the study. Using one-on-one interviews and focus group discussions and document review, the study found out that there have been some stakeholders’ interventions addressing financial constraints to refugee women access to higher education. Such interventions included scholarships, advocacy actions, partnerships, livelihood activities and belonging to associations. Nevertheless, despite the presence of these interventions, differences and limitations to their access were noted due to varied eligibility criteria including age of the intended beneficiaries, length in the camp, marital status, discipline, and length of the programme. Thus, the study recommends that education stakeholders in partnership with government increase resource mobilization for refugee girls’ scholarships to enable access to higher education. Funders of higher education scholarships should review the eligibility criteria to eliminate requirements that bar women refugees from being given an opportunity to access higher education. Additionally, the government and development actors should focus on livelihood programmes to income generating activities, and put in place an affirmative action policy to increase refugee women access to higher education