By Nicholas Akasula
Husna Babbra Kia Etum is a passionate humanitarian, gender equality advocate, and development leader whose work continues to change the lives of vulnerable women and girls across Uganda.
With more than 10 years of experience in humanitarian and development work, Etum has largely focused on protection, gender issues, and community-based programmes. While serving as a Protection Manager in Imvepi and Kyangwali refugee settlements, she led programmes aimed at preventing and responding to Gender-Based Violence (GBV). It was during this time that she witnessed the harsh realities many women and families faced daily.
That experience later inspired her to found Wezesha Women Initiative, commonly known as WEZESHA, a community-based organisation dedicated to protecting women and girls from violence while promoting economic empowerment.
A vision born in crisis
WEZESHA was founded in 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. As communities struggled through lockdowns, loss of income, and uncertainty, women in already vulnerable settings suffered the most. Refugee settlements and post-conflict communities in Northern Uganda were especially affected.
Etum recalls seeing a sharp rise in domestic violence cases, alongside growing desperation among families unable to access basic necessities such as food and water. Rather than stand by helplessly, she chose to act.
“Covid-19 exposed the deep vulnerabilities within already fragile communities. In Kyangwali Refugee Settlement, I saw women carrying the heaviest burden. That reality pushed me to respond with empathy and determination,” Etum explains.
Using her personal emergency family savings, she launched the Wezesha Financing Scheme, an initiative designed to help women, particularly former market vendors, rebuild their businesses and regain financial independence.
What began as a small grassroots response during a national crisis gradually developed into a broader movement focused on restoring dignity and hope.
Building dignity and independence
Today, WEZESHA works with women and girls in refugee settlements, host communities, and post-conflict districts across Uganda. The organisation’s mission is to protect women and girls from violence through social norms change and socio-economic empowerment.
Its programmes go beyond emergency support. WEZESHA provides psychosocial support and trauma healing services to survivors of violence, while also promoting child protection and community awareness aimed at preventing violence against women and girls.
Economic empowerment remains central to the organisation’s work. Through innovative financial models such as the Reverse Saving Financing Scheme and Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), women are supported to rebuild their livelihoods and achieve financial stability.
WEZESHA has also established the Wezesha Digital Hub, which equips women and girls with digital skills and access to technology. The initiative also supports persons with disabilities, helping to bridge the digital divide and create safer learning spaces.
Partnerships creating wider impact
To strengthen its work, WEZESHA collaborates with both government and development partners. These include the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, UNHCR, Oxfam, WOUGNET, and several refugee-led and women-led organisations.
According to Etum, the goal is not simply to help women survive difficult situations, but to help them thrive.
“WEZESHA’s mission is to provide vulnerable women with the tools, opportunities, and support they need to rebuild their lives. When women are empowered economically and emotionally, entire communities benefit,” she says.
Taking local voices to the world stage
Etum’s work has increasingly gained international recognition. In May 2025, she participated in the European Humanitarian Forum in Brussels, Belgium, where she contributed to discussions on local humanitarian leadership, the safety of frontline workers, and the empowerment of displaced women.
She also represented grassroots women’s organisations at the Women Deliver Conference 2026 in Melbourne, Australia, where she highlighted the challenges facing women on the frontlines of humanitarian crises.
Changing lives, one woman at a time
Through its various programmes, WEZESHA has impacted more than 6,000 women and girls across Uganda socially, emotionally, and economically.
Amina Mbitsemenchi, a Congolese refugee, living in Kyangwali Refugee settlement says: “I ran to seek refuge with my six children. We were struggling to find a meal. One time I attended a community dialogue organised by WEZESHA in Bukinda village. I got enrolled in the entrepreneurship skills training. I learnt a lot and I started selling tomatoes and onions. I learnt how to save and run my small business. I can now buy food and scholastic materials for my children.”
Many women who had lost hope are now rebuilding businesses and regaining financial independence. Survivors of violence are accessing counselling and healing support, while communities are slowly beginning to challenge harmful gender norms.
Etum’s message to young women and girls remains simple but powerful:
“Start where you are, use what you have, and never underestimate your power. Change does not require perfection. It requires passion, purpose, and persistence. When one woman rises, she lifts an entire community with her.”
