Turning refugees into change makers – that is the goal of the Unidos Social Innovation Centre. In the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in South West Uganda the refugee-led organisation aims at empowering young refugees with entrepreneurial skills. 44 % of young Nakivale refugees unemployed and underserved It is becoming increasingly important to empower refugees as external support decreases. The World Food Programme (WFP) progressively reduced food rations for refugee settlements in South-West Uganda to 40% in 2021 (compared to 2019). According to Unidos, the ongoing drought is further exacerbating the consequences by decreasing the refugees’ own harvests. That’s why the organisation’ founders decided to re-write their own story: By inclusive education and the dissemination of entrepreneurial skills they aim at establishing food security in their refugee settlement. Through the application of permaculture these determined refugees do not only regenerate soil and ecological environment but also their own lives and the community.

Regenerative Learning Center: YICE Uganda empowers people, conserves biodiversity, scales up sustainable solutions, and promotes collaboration. When Noah Ssempijja founded YICE in 2012, he would not have dreamed of the successes the Youth Initiative for Community Empowerment celebrates today. The organisation implements practical regenerative farming activities in rural Uganda. The team has impacted over 1,500 smallholder farmers, raising their incomes by 20-46%. Thus, the jointly saved almost 12t of CO2 with regenerative practices. Their focus target group is last mile smallholder female and young farmers, including displaced people and host communities.

How can refugees achieve food sovereignty? The team from Rwamwanja Rural Foundation is building better livelihoods with permaculture. The Rwamwanja Rural Foundation Ltd. (RRF) is a grassroot organisation in the south-west of Uganda. Bemeriki Bisimwa Dusabe, a refugee from Congo, started the organization in 2015. It is run by refugees and aims at defeating malnutrition in the settlement. By educating their neighbours about permaculture, the foundation empowers refugees to grow their own food and to take a first step in leading a self-determined life. RRF emphasises that refugees should start growing their own food – even if their garden or plot is very small, because regenerative farming practices like permaculture can get a lot out of it. Participants and team members are mainly youth and women