Nakivale Refugee Camp, located in Uganda’s Isingiro District, is one of Africa’s largest and oldest refugee settlements, established in 1958. Spanning 185 square kilometers, it hosts over 130,000 refugees from countries such as South Sudan, the DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, and Eritrea. This cultural diversity enriches the camp’s social life but also presents integration challenges. Economically, most residents rely on small-scale farming, growing crops like maize and beans for sustenance and occasional sale in local markets. However, income-generating opportunities are scarce, leaving many refugees dependent on informal jobs like casual labor. Limited resources for education, healthcare, and social services further strain the community.

Despite their resilience, most refugees in Nakivale live below the poverty line, struggling to afford basic needs like food, shelter, and healthcare. Around 78% of refugees in Uganda face extreme poverty (UNHCR and Oxfam, 2020), making them vulnerable to food insecurity, poor health, and inadequate living conditions. Among the many consequences that refugees face to this problem, are basic needs challenge; poverty limits the access to food, healthcare, and shelter, increasing dependence on aid, vulnerability; refugees face risks of exploitation, forced labor, sexual harassment, and illegal activities, crime; economic desperation contributes to rising theft and robbery, mental health issues; prolonged unemployment leads to stress, anxiety, and depression, compounding trauma from pre-settlement experiences and barriers to education; only 54% of refugee children in Uganda attend primary school, with even lower rates for secondary education.

The causes of the problem include limited job opportunities, both within and outside the settlement, as local economies cannot absorb the influx of refugees. Refugees with educational qualifications face difficulties getting credentials recognized, while those with limited education resort to informal jobs like farm labor or small-scale trade, which yield minimal income. Restricted financial services further exacerbate the issue, as refugees often lack access to credit and loans, preventing them from starting or expanding businesses. The lack of stable, well-paying jobs perpetuates poverty and dependency on humanitarian aid.

While livelihood programs and vocational training exist, challenges like lack of capital, oversaturated trades, and insufficient market access hinder long-term economic improvement. Addressing these structural barriers is essential to break the cycle of poverty in Nakivale.

• Sustainable craftsmanship training: 12 craft training workshops will be held over the course of 3 months, for at least 100 refugees. They will be trained on the use of locally available products to make valuable products they can sell -eg. plastics & tyre upcycling to make shoes, furniture, banana fiber crafting to create decorative mosaics or artwork, bottle tops and unused boxes for making door mats, artificial flowers, weaving, bead work. Sub-activities:
• Renovating a space within the camp where refugees gather to get training on how to make the products, work together to make them & also serve as a hub for brainstorming, where participants can come up with new ideas based on local needs. This space should hold at least 5,000 people.
• Capacity building training in traditional marketing (community markets) & digital marketing, pricing, record keeping, budgeting,managing profits & reinvestment.
• Partnering with 20 skilled trainers & professional artisans who have a track record of working in refugee settings or with marginalized communities to carry out the training.
• Financial Literacy training for the refugees.
• Facilitating access to market for the products made: enhancing market access for refugees through physical market days, digital platforms, partnerships with local businesses and NGOs, and promoting group sales and logistics for wider distribution. Sub-activities:
• Physical Market Access: Facilitate access to local and regional markets by organizing regular market days , talent shows, trade fairs on International Refugee Day, Cultural Day etc. within the camp and nearby towns
• Hosting of school visits and community tours at the innovation center, generating income from paid field visits.
• Partnerships with local businesses to buy refugee-produced goods.
• Digital Marketplace Platform: Encourage trainees to use online platforms eg.facebook market,whatsapp,instagram to sell their products to a broader audience, expanding their market reach.
• Encouraging trainees to join the Village Saving Loans Associations (a sacco) to improve on group selling of products & marketing, savings, etc.
• Partnership with NGOs, international organizations to connect crafts to larger markets outside Nakivale, including urban centers in Uganda or international buyers and to ensure refugees have access to the materials and tools they need for craft.
• Sharing of Success Stories: Highlight successful activities through social media, community events, or newsletters.
• Have transport & logistics plans for transport of crafts in bulk.
• Sourcing of materials needed for craftsmanship: establishing a system for community material donations, fund procurement through innovation center tours, and partner with local businesses and artisans for tools and supplies.
• Mindset Change to reduce victim mentality , move from focusing on obstacles to recognizing opportunities & encourage emotional intelligence: organizing bi-monthly check-ins and group discussions for participants to share experiences, build emotional strength, and receive counseling on emotional management and empathy.

Direct Results

• 12 craft training workshops held weekly for 3 months
• At least 100 refugees trained in the craft & capacity building skills
• Establishment of an Innovation centre that can hold more than 5000 refugees
• 20 trainers shortlisted
• 10 partnerships established with local businesses, NGOs, or international organizations
• 2 school & community tours hosted
• 1 market fair
• Success stories of refugee entrepreneurs who have accessed new markets
• 1 collection point set up within the community for craft materials
•  Tools and materials acquired for craftsmanship
• At least 12 check-ins and group discussions held over a specific period
• At least 6 counselor-led sessions

 Expected Impact

• Train 200 refugees in sustainable craftsmanship, marketing, and financial literacy by the end 2025, with at least 70% of participants successfully selling products within 6 months.

• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) https://www.unhcr.org/
• Transcultural Psychosocial Organization (TPO)
• ALIGHT https://www.wearealight.org/
• Education Local Expertise Centre Uganda (ELECU) https://www.lec-uganda.org/
• Office of Prime Minister (OPM) http://urrms.opm.go.ug/settlement.html 

• Bahati Miracle, Co-ordinator of Grapes of New Hope (miraclebahati576@gmail.com )
• Alex Nyabenda, Executive Director of Grapes of New Hope (alexnyabenda@gmail.com )
• Ezra Twagirayezu, Skilling and Livelihood Officer of Grapes of New Hope (twagirayezuezra206@gmail.com )
• Fidel Hitimana, Executive Director of Grapes of New Hope(fidelhitimana15@gmail.com )
• Phiona Mukite, coordinator of Nurturer (phionamukite013@gmail.com )
• Meshake ombeni, Field Based officer of Innovation Village (ombenimeshake88@gmail.com )
• Ashije Isaac, Facilitator of Stand for Change (isaacashige@gmail.com )
• Wanzobi Innocent Machoche, Community Learning Facilitator of Save the Children International (wanzobi@gmail.com )
• Justine Niwebyona, Teacher of Finn Church Aid (niwebyonajustine206@gmail.com )
• Tumaini Ndagije, Board Member Grapes of New Hope (julestumainindamaze@gmail.com )
• Solomon Ndayishimiye, Beneficiary of Grapes of New Hope
• obed Ishimwe, Beneficiary of Grapes of New Hope