Umoja Innovation Refugee Center (UIRC) is a community-based organization, one of the community-based organizations in Uganda aiming at empowering refugees in Uganda to launch their social enterprises and have access to social services.
There are over 1.5 million refugees in Uganda, a country with only 40 million inhabitants. They come mainly from Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Eritrea and South Sudan and are facing an uncertain future. On the other hand, the youth unemployment rate in Uganda is 83% according to Uganda Bureau of Statistics and opportunities are almost non-existence. Refugee youths have enormous drive to be able to sustain themselves, generate income and create a dignified life for themselves, but are often seen as a burden in the different host communities. They are discriminated against and marginalized in society. This resorts them to adapt harmful behaves like drug addiction, early pregnancies, practicing prostitution as they perceive it an easy way to earn a small income to facilitate their basic necessities hence increasing risk chances of acquiring and spreading sexually transmitted diseases especially HIV/AIDs in refugee camps and host communities.
And we are here to help them navigate through these struggles they are facing. We started by
offering services to refugees by assisting the most vulnerable families with material aid. We also provide life coaching, entrepreneurial education, and business mentoring to boost their professional and personal development.
This helps refugees to realize their hidden potential and talents and create employment by starting social enterprises with potential benefits to society and the
environment. We would really appreciate your help with that.