Uganda attractions

Kisenyi, located in the heart of Kampala adjacent to the capital’s central business district, is a huge neighborhood where some of Uganda’s poorest and most vulnerable residents live in extremely close quarters, many without access to running water. Despite these challenges, Kisenyi has a lively, vibrant atmosphere filled with informal businesses—everything from butcher shops and fresh produce vendors to furniture and metalworking shops. It’s been nicknamed Little Mogadishu in honor of the 18,000 Somali refugees who call Kisenyi home.

Founded in 2007 by a trio of young Congolese refugees living in Uganda, the Young African Refugees for Integral Development (YARID) in Kampala is a registered NGO that seeks to aid refugees, asylum seekers, and people who have been displaced by conflict. Each year, YARID serves over 4,000 individuals who primarily are from Africa’s Great Lakes region (Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi) but also come from other East African countries, including Ethiopia and South Sudan.