Refugee Community Tour

General information

Destination
Kampala, Uganda

Program details

On this community Kampala tour, you’ll get a look into the difficult lives of East African refugees. At the heart of refugee support is YARID – Young African Refugees Integral Development – a Ugandan NGO focused on education and empowerment in Kampala’s refugee community.

Our first stop is at YARID’s newest development program, the Nsambya-YARID centre, a vocational training centre for women. Here, we will learn why women are among the most vulnerable refugees and how YARID is working to support refugee communities through job training, peer counseling, and entrepreneurship workshops. From there, we will continue our walking tour through the streets of Kampala to get a snapshot of local life by visiting the Nakasero markets, Old Taxi Park, Hindu temple as well as the Owino market.

Our walk will take us to the main YARID centre – the site of their main development programs in literacy, computer literacy, and microfinance. We will meet with local refugees and hear their personal stories about why they left, what life is like in Uganda, and whether they plan to repatriate. To understand the historical development of Uganda, we will take a van to Lubiri Palace to learn about the formation of the Buganda Kingdom, one of the oldest in Ugandan history. Official residence to the king of Buganda, this majestic colonial palace at the peak of Bulange hill is a prime example of traditional royal architecture. From the King’s parliament, we visit Uganda National Mosque. Formerly known as Gaddafi National Mosque, this 15,000 seat skyscraper mosque was commissioned by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi of Libya as a gift to the Ugandan Muslims.

Our Kampala walking tour concludes with a final debriefing on current local issues and a chance to ask your local guide for recommendations of other interesting places to check out in Kampala.


Duration: 2 hours.

Start/opening time: At 9pm.

End/closing time: At 11am.

Drop-off location: Plot 11 Portal Avenue, Adam House, Kampala.

Opening days/period: Daily.

Languages: English.

Min. Age: Children under 10 years of age are not permitted on this tour.

Others: Exclusions: Food, drinks, souvenirs, tips / gratuities for your guide.