07 Local communities enduring the pandemic and other related crises Field visits and interviews for this study, were conducted in three communities around the oil exploration and extraction in the Bunyoro subregion of western Uganda. The communities and women’s groups visited were: Kakindo Women Integrated Development Agency (KAWIDA) in Buliisa district; Butimba Women’s Group in Kikuube distict and Kaiso Women Development Group in Hoima district. These communities engaged in different economic activities: Buliisa district is mainly a pastoralist community; Butimba is a farming community while Kaiso is a fishing community. Each of these communities had unique challenges resulting from oil extraction and related investments but also unique challenges and experiences with COVID and post COVID recovery. 20 Field findings Field findings revealed that oil exploration presented more challenges than opportunities to the women living in in the Bunyoro region. Women and their communities faced a multilayered crisis prior to the emergence of COVID-19. Partly, this has been driven by the ongoing extractivist projects across the region. In many circumstances, women suffered both as care givers but also because of their dependence on the environment. Their challenges were further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Experiences of people interviewed are discussed below. Impact of oil exploration and extraction Oil exploration, extraction and related activities presented challenges and shaped community lifestyles in the Bunyoro region also known as the “Albertine Graben region” of Uganda. Community members have been adversely affected by loss of land through land grabbing by speculators who take advantage of community members lack of knowledge on land transactions and land rights. Women were even more disadvantaged by these dubious transactions as compared to their male counterparts since women were not consulted, nor did women get an equal share of the proceeds from these transactions. Research on the Influence of International Financial Institutions on Uganda’s COVID – 19 Recovery Agenda