The Kulea Watoto Project was launched in Kyegegwa District for stakeholders in Kyaka II Refugee Settlement and the District Local Government. Kulea Watoto is a Swahili translation of ‘Nurturing Children’, that suggest the overall goal of improving early childhood development outcomes and transforming refugee livelihoods in Uganda. The project will provide nurturing care and early childhood learning opportunities, and to build their own skills to generate income for their families.
Kulea Watoto employs a unique two-generation approach to reach out to children under five years and their caregivers.
The 3-year project (October 1, 2022. – September 30, 2025) is implemented in consortia with four local partners, including AfriChild Centre, Madrasa Early Childhood Program, Literacy and Adult Basic Education (LABE), KRC Uganda and led by International Rescue Committee with funding from Conrad N. Hilton Foundation,
In the consortium, KRC is responsible for implementing the livelihood component of the project both in the settlement and the host community. Under this component, the project will:
- Engage agricultural communities to adopt nutrition-sensitive agricultural practices that can help meet children’s nutritional needs; contribute to household income
- Provide start-up funding and enabling inputs to progressive business ideas
- Connect households to financial services, such as savings groups to stabilize their household and business finances
- Link people to the private sector through on-the-job training and job placement
The project will be implemented in the following sites in both the refugee and host communities as shown in the table below:
| Sub county/ Town Council | Village |
| Kyegegwa Town Council | Humura, Kako and Wekomire |
| Mpara Town Council | Kisambya |
| Kyegegwa Sub County | Bukere, Sweswe, Intambabiniga, Kaborogota and Kabweza |
| Nkanja Sub County | Mukondo, Kakoni and Bwiriza |
| Ruyonza Sub Ounty | Kishagazi |
A total of 1,739 households will benefit from crop and livestock component and 746 households will benefit from the vocational skills component of the project.