Nails, Timber, and a New Start

When conflict erupted in Sudan, Khartoum, Rabee Omer Yahya lost more than his home. He lost his wife, his workshop, and the life he had built over decades as a skilled carpenter.

A Life Interrupted by War

Before the war in Sudan, Rabee ran his own carpentry workshop in Khartoum. He worked alongside engineers and took pride in delivering quality craftsmanship. His business supported not only his immediate family but also his elderly mother (72 years) and sister.

When violence spread across the city, Rabee fled with his six children, his mother, and his sister. 

 Unfortunately, his wife died during the turmoil. Overnight, he became the sole provider for a family already marked by grief. Their first stop in Uganda was the Nyumanzi Reception Centre. “It felt more like a prison,” he recalls. Later, they were relocated to Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, where they received free land and had freedom of movement within and outside the settlement. Although the conditions improved, survival remained uncertain.

Struggling to Provide

Although shelter had been secured, income was not. Rabee occasionally built houses for other refugees, sometimes working alongside his children. However, the work was irregular and insufficient to cover food, school fees, and basic household needs.

For months, the family lived in uncertainty.

Everything changed when Rabee was referred to the Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance given by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) as part of the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) led Consortium funded by the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO). After biometric verification and sensitisation, Rabee began receiving UGX 450,000 (127.48 $) per month for six months, with funding from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) through the Uganda Cash Consortium.

Investing in Skills, Restoring Dignity

Rabee did not see the cash assistance as temporary relief. He saw it as an opportunity.

He used part of the funds (UGX 400,000 (113.32 $)) to purchase tools and timber. With these materials, he set up a small carpentry workshop at his new home in Cluster L.

Today, on a good day, he earns between UGX 20,000 (5.67$) and 40,000 (11.33 $), making various items ranging from stools, beds, chairs, benches, and wooden doors and windows. The income allows him to keep his children in school and provide care for his elderly mother. What once felt impossible is now within reach. 

“I can finally put my carpentry skills to work and earn a living,” he says.

The change extends beyond his own household. Across the cluster, over 4,583 individuals supported through the ECHO-funded cash programme have repaired their homes, purchased essential household items, and enrolled their children back in school. 

More Than Income

For Rabee, the transformation is not only financial. It is personal.

Regaining the ability to work in his profession has restored a sense of identity and purpose. Carpentry is more than a trade; it is a skill he mastered over a lifetime. Being able to use it again affirms his dignity and strengthens his role as a father and provider.

“In Sudan, I was known as a carpenter,” he reflects. “Now I can be that same person again.”

In Uganda, the Lutheran World Federation supports refugees and host communities across multiple settlements through an integrated humanitarian response. Working in partnership with the Government of Uganda and international donors, LWF provides cash assistance, livelihood support, protection services, education, and infrastructure services to help families meet urgent needs while building pathways toward self-reliance. In settlements such as Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, this approach enables people not only to survive forced displacement but to rebuild their lives with dignity and opportunity.