LocationsHow catalytic investments transform lives across borders in Africa.
Resilience beyond borders
January 14, 2026
In a small field in Moroto, Uganda, where drought and insecurity have long shaped daily life, Margaret Lotolim starts her mornings tending land she once feared would never sustain her family.
“Life used to be difficult. We felt unsafe and prayed every day for peace,” says Margaret, a farmer in this pastoralist community.
Margaret stands in her field in Karamoja, where new livelihood opportunities are helping families rebuild with confidence.
UNDP Resilience Hub for Africa/Temidayo Ibitoye
Margaret’s experience is echoed by Abdullahi Razaq, a youth leader, who recalls: “There was little we could do. Even access to water was a challenge, and we had to rely on earth canals.”
For decades, communities in Karamoja, a semi-arid region bordering Kenya, Uganda and South Sudan, have endured cross-border cattle raids, cycles of drought, conflict, and economic hardship that fueled insecurity and disrupted livelihoods.
Conflict influences how people move and use their land, sometimes concentrating grazing in smaller areas and placing pressure on the environment. Climate change adds another layer of challenge, interacting with existing tensions around natural resources. Even so, communities continue to adapt with determination and creativity.
Margaret and Abdullahi’s worries began to ease when their communities became part of a resilience-building initiative.
In Karamoja, Abdullahi speaks about the challenges local communities once faced and the positive changes emerging through the resilience initiative.
UNDP Resilience Hub for Africa/Temidayo Ibitoye
Launched in 2024, the Africa Borderlands Centre (ABC)’s Promoting Socio-Economic Development and Peace in the Karamoja–Uganda–Kenya Borderlands project is a $2 million accelerated impact initiative funded through UNDP Funding Windows. This combines economic empowerment, cross-border trade, and peacebuilding under the ABC Scaling Facility.
Backed by the Government of Uganda and international partners, the initiative introduced sustainable farming practices, vocational skills training, and improved market access across eight communities in Karamoja. These efforts enabled people to adopt modern agricultural techniques, form cooperatives to produce honey and maize, and build livelihoods that increase incomes, while strengthening trust, collaboration, and social cohesion.
"Now, I sell my produce at the market and earn enough to support my family. We feel safer, and for the first time, I believe in a brighter future,” adds Margaret.
The resilience-building initiative stands out for its integrated, cross-border approach, linking Uganda and Kenya to tackle challenges that transcend borders. Farmers now grow climate-resilient crops, beekeepers commercialize honey, and hay cooperatives ensure year-round livestock feed.
Across Karamoja, the impact is tangible: more than 4,500 households have been empowered, and hundreds of young people are now equipped with new skills to shape their own futures.
Hands‑on skills development in Karamoja is helping youth gain practical training and build new income‑earning opportunities.
UNDP Resilience Hub for Africa/Temidayo Ibitoye
The hay and maize harvest were so successful that communities in parts of West Pokot County, Kenya, have already started replicating the approach themselves, allowing the project to scale organically. Peter Tarach, a local farmer, shares: “After receiving training and learning new farming techniques, our harvests have improved. We now plant more seeds and get better yields on our farms.”
Through the interventions, infrastructure upgrades have expanded trade and reduced reliance on conflict-prone activities. Expanded market access is enabling families to build livelihoods, grounded in dignity and self-reliance.
This transformation has been made possible through flexible, pooled funding from partners like Denmark, Luxembourg, and the Republic of Korea, giving way to catalytic interventions that unlock larger impacts. Their contributions enable UNDP to invest where needs and potential for change are critical.
“Addressing conflict means providing alternatives. Integrating economic empowerment with peacebuilding is essential to transform the security landscape of the Karamoja borderlands. We sincerely appreciate our partners for their support”, noted Zeynu Ummer, Director of UNDP’s Resilience Hub for Africa.
By focusing on people and communities through innovative solutions, catalytic funding is building a future of peace and resilience. With continued support from partners, we can accelerate progress in poverty reduction, governance, climate action, and gender equality. This delivers transformative impact in regions at risk like Karamoja, turning vulnerabilities into opportunities and leaving no one behind.
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