THE REPRODUCTION OF INEQUALITY THROUGH VOLUNTEERING BY YOUNG REFUGEES IN UGANDA

We are pleased to share our recent journal article publication, led by Dr Moses Okech and co-authored by RYVU team members Professor Matt Baillie Smith, Dr Bianca Fadel and Professor Sarah Mills.  It was published open access in the Voluntas academic journal.

This academic paper highlights the importance of volunteering for young refugees in Uganda as a means of learning new skills and earning a livelihood. But it also shows how not everyone has equal access to such opportunities, with inequalities mainly shaped by language, gender, and education.

In doing so, the analysis reveals how participation in volunteering is connected to the multiple and intersecting inequalities that shape the day-to-day life of a young refugee in Uganda and their relationships with the wider community members, as well as their physical and social mobility. The authors shows how, instead of tackling social inequality, the way volunteering is organised often hides these experiences, privileging particular kinds of volunteers and types of volunteering, and potentially exacerbating inequalities rather than challenging them.

Click here to read and download the full open access article.