A bank for women refugees
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$4,080
A £3,000 for Patapia, a community‑financing initiative founded by Aime Rebecca to give refugee women in Uganda access to savings and micro‑loans. This seed grant will enable Patapia to train and finance ten women in its first month and to use loan repayments to support at least 24 more over the following year. By equipping women with capital, training and digital banking tools, Patapia helps them create sustainable livelihoods and reduce reliance on aid.
- Region 🇺🇬 Uganda
- Sector 💵 Financial Inclusion
- Stage Pilot
Uganda hosts more than 1.5 million refugees, most of whom survive on small monthly food rations or nothing at all. Women and children make up the majority of this population, and about two‑thirds of refugee households are female‑headed. With donor funding stretched and urban refugees often excluded from assistance, many women resort to “3D” jobs—dirty, dangerous and demanding work—to feed their families. Such jobs expose them to exploitation and abuse.
Aime Rebecca knows this reality first‑hand. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, she fled to Uganda in 2010. At 13 she left school to support her family after her mother became too ill to work. She spent years hawking goods on the street, enduring violence and insecurity. A scholarship from the Social Innovation Academy (SINA) later introduced her to entrepreneurship and showed her that her experiences could fuel a solution rather than define her future. In 2020 she launched Patapia to ensure that other refugee women have a chance she never did: the opportunity to build stable, independent lives through business.
Why this matters
Aid alone cannot provide long‑term security or dignity. As donor fatigue grows and the cost of living rises, refugee women in Uganda need ways to generate income and build assets. By offering micro‑loans without collateral, access to savings accounts and ongoing mentoring, Patapia addresses structural barriers in the financial system and empowers women to move beyond subsistence. Economic independence not only reduces vulnerability to exploitation but also allows women to provide food, education and healthcare for their families.
How the grant helps
Our £3,000 grant allows Patapia to:
train and finance ten refugee women immediately,
reinvest loan repayments to support at least one additional woman each month, reaching about 34 women by year’s end,
provide business training and mentoring, translated into accessible language,
offer savings accounts and mobile banking services so women can manage funds securely, and
build “business families” where small groups of borrowers support and hold each other accountable.
The programme charges low interest and requires no collateral, and all interest earned goes back into financing more businesses. Over time, Patapia aims to open branches in other refugee settlements across Uganda and expand to neighbouring countries, creating a networked bank for the unbanked.