Financial Lives of Refugees in Uganda

The FI4R endline survey reveals that non-employment income remains the primary source of funds for refugees in Uganda, though there has been an increase in the use of mobile money, savings groups, and cash held at home. The report highlights the role of implementing partners like Equity Bank Uganda Limited, VisionFund Uganda, and the Rural Finance Initiative in providing bank accounts, wholesale credit models, and digitized savings tools to refugees and host communities.

• Non-employment income, which includes in-kind assistance and cash and voucher assistance, is the most significant income source for refugees.
• There has been a measurable increase in the adoption of specific financial instruments, including mobile money accounts, savings groups, and keeping cash at home.
• Mobile phone ownership and access among refugees increased from 73% at the baseline to 81% at the endline.
• Median monthly income varied by location; for example, in Kampala, the refugee median monthly income decreased from 208,000 UGX at baseline to 133,167 UGX at endline, while in Nakivale it increased from 177,400 UGX to 240,833 UGX.
• Financial service providers implemented targeted products: Equity Bank Uganda Limited provided fully-fledged bank accounts and debit cards for World Food Program payments; VisionFund Uganda piloted a wholesale credit model for savings groups in the West Nile region; and the Rural Finance Initiative offered VSLA loans and a digital records tool called Ledger Link.

APA

FSD Africa (2022). Financial Lives of Refugees in Uganda. https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/INFOGRAPHIC-Financial-Lives-of-Refugees-in-Uganda_Highlights-of-the-Endline-Survey_January-2022.pdf

Chicago

FSD Africa. Financial Lives of Refugees in Uganda. 2022. https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/INFOGRAPHIC-Financial-Lives-of-Refugees-in-Uganda_Highlights-of-the-Endline-Survey_January-2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=FSD Africa |title=Financial Lives of Refugees in Uganda |date=January 2022 |url=https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/INFOGRAPHIC-Financial-Lives-of-Refugees-in-Uganda_Highlights-of-the-Endline-Survey_January-2022.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fsdafrica2022financial, author = {{FSD Africa}}, title = {{Financial Lives of Refugees in Uganda}}, institution = {FSD Africa}, year = {2022}, month = jan, url = {https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/INFOGRAPHIC-Financial-Lives-of-Refugees-in-Uganda_Highlights-of-the-Endline-Survey_January-2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }