Building a Business in a Refugee Settlement: Training, Access, and Support

Luhavu grew up in Beni, Democratic Republic of the Congo, a lively city with a central market, an airport, a university, and a nearby rainforest. Twenty years ago, Luhavu and his family fled from the violence in their home country to the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda. Like most refugees, Luhavu faced countless obstacles: language, housing, food, education, livelihood. In the ensuing two decades, Luhavu’s fortitude and focus helped build a solid foundation for his family. He is now a busy welder; his daughters go to school; he mentors young people in business skills. We are so grateful Luhavu’s path crossed with ours; he inspires us to continue our work with people living in the deepest poverty.

Breaking Barriers

Luhavu is just one of thousands of refugees whose life changed thanks to fearless determination and a commitment to learning new skills—including a new livelihood, financial literacy, and business management.

Sustainable Livelihood

Upon arriving in the refugee settlement, Luhavu learned welding, having previously been a driver. It is hard physical work, and often unpredictable. Sometimes, there is no electricity; at other times, the gas runs out and must be fetched from a distance. Yet Luhavu perseveres.

My dream is to have a big workshop to sell a lot of materials made here. We can do some research on the Internet about what the needs of the community are, like chairs, tables, and so on; we can make them so they can get what they need here, locally. That’s our goal in the future.”

Financial Literacy and Access

Working with Opportunity Bank financial inclusion officers, many of whom are refugees themselves, Luhavu studied financial literacy using a curriculum specially adapted to the needs and realities of refugees.

Delivered over a seven-week period, the course covers a wide range of topics including setting financial goals, making a budget, managing expenditures, the responsibilities of taking a loan, and the importance of saving. Thanks to his successful studies and the introduction to a formal financial institution, Luhavu received his first loan through Opportunity Bank—a turning point for him personally and professionally.

Savings

Luhavu now belongs to a savings group that meets twice a month. If any member has an emergency, they can go to their own group for assistance and support; as a welder, Luhavu knows that material can break down or equipment can malfunction. Knowing he has access to savings gives him confidence as the owner of his own business. And his whole mindset about savings shifted thanks to the Opportunity-supported training.

When we finished studying, it gave me more expertise in how to use money. You can’t have income and use it all without a clear program, because they taught us how to use money and make it profitable.”

Education

All Luhavu’s daughters attend school regularly; thanks to his financial management and savings, he ensures they have enough food and access to medicine when needed. Even when he’s not with them, he says their pictures give him the motivation to keep going no matter how hard things get.

I know that if they go to school, their future will be bright.”

Multiplying Opportunities

We believe that our work—providing a single opportunity to one farmer or teacher or refugee—multiplies in countless ways, impacting not just one client but their families and sometimes communities as well. Luhavu continues to work and live in a very challenging area; his job is demanding; he must keep his daughters in school. Yet, Luhavu has enough drive, energy, and compassion that he plans to grow his business and, together with some friends, he began mentoring local youth, teaching them welding skills so they can earn a living and support their families.

It’s just wanting to help. You see, a lot of people suffer here. Young men often seek solace in alcohol, and it makes us sad. So it’s simply to help, to reduce the burden they carry.”

Luhavu has grabbed every opportunity he can to build a sustainable life for himself and his family, and now he is sharing those opportunities with others. We are humbled by the role we can play in the lives of countless people around the globe every day.

Uganda

With nearly two million refugees and asylum seekers, Uganda hosts the largest refugee population in Africa and the sixth largest globally. The number of refugees has grown rapidly in the last decade due to continuing unrest in neighboring countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and South Sudan. Forcibly displaced people continue to arrive daily, driven by conflict, instability, food insecurity, and climatic shocks.

Opportunity International has been working with refugees in Uganda since 2019, collaborating with the Ugandan government and local partners to support refugees to identify business opportunities, access financial services, and build sustainable livelihoods.

Opportunity Bank of Uganda Ltd. (OBUL) now operates two full-service branches within refugee settlements in Uganda. As of September 2025, OBUL’s Nakivale Branch inside the largest refugee hosting settlement in Southwestern Uganda was the best performing branch in the country in terms of growth and portfolio at risk. The business model proves that, with equitable access to financial services, forcibly displaced populations can rebuild their lives with dignity and independence.

One opportunity can change a life. Then a family. Then a community. Give the gift that grows at opportunity.org/donate.