Social Entrepreneurship, Economic Development and Refugees in Uganda: Exploring Alternative Approaches to International Development through Sport

Sport for development and peace (SDP) has steadily grown and become institutionalized since the early 2000s. Yet, there remains a need for further analysis in relation to: (1) social entrepreneurship; (2) refugee's participation in SDP; and (3) livelihoods and employability. In this study, postcolonial management theory and the concept of diaspora was adopted to explore a SDP organization, Young African Refugees for Integral Development (YARID), located in Kampala, Uganda, and refugee's participation in YARID's social development programs. The purpose of this research was to explore YARID's SDP work that seeks to support refugees and provide opportunities for (social) entrepreneurship, livelihoods, and employment, as well as number of other social goals such as social inclusion, gender equality, and cultural belonging. Guided by a participatory action research approach, fieldwork was undertaken from June to August 2019 at YARID and involved multiple data collection strategies including: photovoice, semi-structured interviews, photocollage sessions and focus groups, and observations. A total of 42 participants, comprising of YARID staff, program participants, and community members, were involved in the study. Collaborative analysis during photocollage sessions and thematic analysis was utilized to identify common themes and patterns across textual, visual, and digital data. Findings suggest that refugees are faced with a variety of challenges in their day to day lives due to displacement and host community relations with Ugandan residents. By uniquely combining SDP activities with other innovative social programs, such as business classes, vocational training, and microfinance savings groups, refugees at YARID agentically engage in entrepreneurship and livelihood activities as individuals, in groups, and with YARID to challenge circumstances of poverty, discrimination, and gender inequalities. At the same time, there remain challenges and barriers to SDP participation and livelihood-related activities, most especially for women and girls due to patriarchy and gender relations both within Uganda and gender norms of homelands where refugees have been forced to migrate from. Further research is needed to advance understandings of social entrepreneurship and livelihoods in the field of SDP and how refugee participants utilize sport for their own purposes and to construct diasporic identities.