Author: GRI Social Media Team

In Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, a Sudanese refugee is transforming agricultural skills into a sustainable livelihood after receiving passion fruit production training and seedlings from the GRI Field Livelihoods Team.

Following the training, he began producing fresh mixed-fruit juice using passion fruits, avocados, oranges, and bananas. His natural juice quickly gained popularity within the community and sells at UGX 2,000 per glass.

“The training helped me realize I could add value to the fruits I grow. Juice making has changed my life,” he shares.

The business now generates a steady daily income, enabling him to meet household needs and reinvest in his enterprise. He adds, “Every glass I sell supports my family. I feel proud and confident.”

His journey is inspiring fellow refugees, particularly young women and men, to explore value addition and small-scale business opportunities within the settlement.

This story highlights how targeted livelihood interventions are strengthening self-reliance and economic resilience among refugees.

Environmental Kids Club members from six participating schools took part in a Fine Art Competition under the theme “Eco Super Heroes.”

A total of 240 children (40 from each school) showcased their creativity and passion for environmental protection through inspiring artworks that celebrated young heroes who care for the Earth.

The activity encouraged learners to see themselves as Eco Super Heroes, protectors of trees, water, soil, animals, and the air we breathe. Through their art, pupils expressed practical ways of conserving nature such as planting trees, cleaning school compounds, saving water, managing waste, and using clean energy.

Their drawings beautifully told stories of hope and action, from children picking litter and watering gardens to rainwater harvesting, recycling, and solar energy innovations. Creative characters like “Captain Tree Saver” and “Mama Nature” (meaning Mother of Nature) brought imagination to life, showing that everyone can play a part in protecting the planet.

This initiative is part of the ongoing project “Enhancing Environmental and Climate Change Education and Awareness” in Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement and host community primary schools. The project continues to equip young learners with the knowledge, skills, and values needed to build a sustainable future.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘦: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘐 𝘢𝘮, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘐 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥

Recently, International Day of the Girl Child was celebrated at Ubuntu Model Primary School. This day is all about celebrating and supporting the rights of girls in Africa, especially their right to education, safety, and equal opportunities.

We celebrated this day through different performances from our girls. Every afternoon club showcased their talents through different performances which the rest of the girls enjoyed. After the performances, games were played and everyone enjoyed.

To close this day, best performing girls were appreciated with gifts to motivate them and encourage others to do the same, while every girl received a new pencil from the school administration presented to them by the education officer from GRI. This simple gift was to encourage the girls to keep in school.

Thank you everyone who is working tirelessly to ensure that the girl child is not left out on education.

To all our partners, donors and friends, we appreciate your efforts in supporting these young children through your donations towards construction of the school buildings, sponsorship opportunities, and other projects such as the menstrual hygiene management that targets increasing the rate of girl child retention in schools. As the school grows, we encourage you to continue with your support.

At Ubuntu Model Primary School, learning goes hand in hand with the promise of two warm meals each day. Our school feeding program has never paused, not because of unlimited resources, but because of the unwavering commitment of the administration and parents who work tirelessly to sustain it.

To strengthen these efforts, the school established a garden where maize, beans, and vegetables are grown every farming season. At GRI, we proudly support this initiative by providing farm inputs and technical guidance, ensuring that every harvest contributes directly to the children’s meals. We also established a fruit tree orchard, adding much-needed vitamins to their diet. Beyond this, our partnership with Feed the Hungry has been a blessing, with their MannaPack food supplies providing dependable support that keeps the program running smoothly.

The results are clear. Children now attend school more regularly, remain attentive in class, and perform better academically. For them, food represents more than just filling an empty stomach; it is joy, comfort, energy, and hope for a brighter future.

As we look ahead, we know this journey is best walked together. With your continued support, we can sustain and expand this program, ensuring that every child at Ubuntu Model Primary School is nourished in both body and mind.

Would you like to join us on this sustainability journey? Click here.

Something remarkable took place in Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement. Together with our partners at FINCA Bank Uganda, Global Refugee Initiatives (GRI) brought hope and opportunity to 50 smallholder farmers by training them on Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA).

VSLA is a community-driven model that helps families save, access small loans, and invest in their futures. For many of these farmers, traditional banking feels out of reach. Through VSLAs, they now have a chance to save together and grow their income, access emergency funds when times are hard, invest in seeds, tools, and small businesses, and build resilience that uplifts entire communities.

One farmer shared, “This training has shown us that even with little, we can start something big together.”

At GRI, we believe this is more than financial training. It is a pathway to dignity, resilience, and independence. With the support of FINCA Bank Uganda, refugee and host communities are finding new ways not just to survive but to thrive.

Imagine the impact if more farmers gained these skills. Imagine the children who could stay in school, the families who could endure crises, and the communities that could flourish.

To our generous donors, we are deeply grateful. Your support makes stories like this possible. With your continued commitment, we can expand this work and reach even more families. Join us in creating lasting change.

 

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐖𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐕𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬

What began as a simple gardening activity has turned into a story of self-reliance and change.

Six school clubs, 240 students and 12 teachers, guided by our program lead and her team, learned how to plant and nurture crops using climate-smart methods. Seedlings sprouted, the soil came alive, and hope grew alongside the vegetables.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

As the vegetables matured, students began selling their fresh produce to teachers, school staff, and visitors. Each school safely stored the earnings in bright savings boxes provided by GRI. These were not just for storage, but a promise.

A promise that these gardens can sustain themselves without relying on donors.

A promise of new seeds, stronger tools, and more climate-smart projects in the future.

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬:

• Self-reliance can grow from a handful of seeds.

• Teamwork makes gardens and communities flourish.

• Young people, given the chance, can lead real change.

This is more than agriculture.

It is a step toward food security.

It is a movement, and it is just getting started.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭, 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬. 𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞.

Global Refugee Initiatives (GRI) has reached an important milestone: the distribution of menstrual hygiene kits to 1,000 schoolgirls across five primary schools in the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement.

Each girl received reusable sanitary pads, soap, and underwear, along with guidance on how to manage their periods with dignity and comfort.

To reduce school absenteeism, each school also received an Emergency Menstrual Hygiene Aid Kit containing laundry soap, reusable pads, and underwear to support girls when menstruation begins unexpectedly during school hours.

These kits, overseen by senior women teachers, are helping girls continue their education without interruption. This achievement was made possible through collaboration with school leadership, staff, and community members, strengthening efforts to build safe, inclusive learning environments for all.

When girls are supported to stay in school, entire communities benefit.

This month, Global Refugee Initiatives (GRI), in partnership with AFRIpads, conducted a capacity-building training on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM), puberty education, and effective adolescent communication for senior women teachers across five primary schools in the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement.

The training empowered 10 senior women teachers with in-depth knowledge on menstruation, puberty, and adolescent development. It also provided practical skills in the use and care of reusable menstrual pads, alongside effective strategies for delivering sensitive reproductive health information to adolescents.

A practical session further engaged 40 learners- both girls and boys, encouraging open dialogue, reducing stigma, and fostering peer support.

This initiative is a key step toward creating safe, inclusive, and supportive school environments where every learner can thrive with dignity.

Global Refugee Initiatives (GRI) is promoting high-value crop farming to enhance livelihoods and economic empowerment in the Kiryandongo refugee settlement. Through this initiative, GRI has supported over 200 newly arrived refugees with 2,000 sweet yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis var. flavicarpa) seedlings, well-suited to the region’s soil and climate.

To scale up impact, GRI has constructed a greenhouse shelter that now hosts both passion fruit and agroforestry tree seedlings, contributing to reforestation and sustainable agriculture in the area. Already, 3,000 passion fruit seedlings have been distributed to 150 farmers from the host community, strengthening peaceful coexistence through shared economic opportunities.

Together, we are planting seeds of hope, resilience, and prosperity.