Why Uganda?

Inspired by her relationship with her partner of Ugandan heritage, Elsemarie researched intercultural relations as part of her bachelor's degree in Human Geography and Spatial Planning at Utrecht University. She was intrigued by the divide between policy and practice, so she decided to do a master's degree in Public Policy and Human Development in Maastricht. After a few recreational visits to Uganda with her partner, she decided to use her Ugandan network to conduct field research there.

Adjumani, Uganda - 50 kilometres from the border with South Sudan

Refugees in Uganda are given a plot of land by the government, meant to grow their own food to make them less dependent on food aid. Elsemarie spent a month in Uganda researching how this policy works in practice. Have the refugees become more self-sufficient? Is the policy as successful as it is generous? To find out, she talked to South Sudanese refugees in a Ugandan refugee settlement near Adjumani, 50 kilometres from the border with South Sudan.

The ethical dilemmas of field research

Food aid is distributed in the refugee settlement once a month, so it has to last the refugees 30 days. During Elsemarie's visit, the shipment of food was delayed by a week, so many of the people she spoke to could only eat once a day. That sometimes led to difficult situations.

"One woman told her story with tears in her eyes, and then asked for 2000 shillings, which is less than €0.50. But, as a researcher, I couldn't give it to her, as the refugees might think that they could get paid for giving an interview."

Elsemarie's stay in a relatively luxurious hotel, a 30-minute drive from the refugee settlement, also got her thinking. "A single meal there was worth as much as all of their food for half a month." For safety reasons, she could only leave her hotel during the day, preferably with an escort, which sometimes made her feel restricted in her freedom of movement. Altogether, it was quite a confrontational experience.

- Keep reading below the photos -