Pooled funds

Introduction In Cohere’s 2022 report that highlights five barriers to meaningful refugee participation, we were able to identify how refugee leaders and refugee-led organisations (RLOs) have continued to be excluded from decision-making spaces. Through the report we made our recommendations on how Cohere and the sector can do better to ensure refugees are participating in all levels of programme development and leadership across the humanitarian sector. Refugees should have a seat at the table, especially when this is where decisions about their futures are being made. Read the report here: https://bit.ly/3ZLseBi And the Executive Summary here: https://bit.ly/3yzV37W   Outcomes We would like to convert our learnings into action with the aim to fundraise for specific support for refugee-led organisations that will increase participation, improve access to advocacy opportunities and expand networks. These are essential activities to support the growing profile of refugee leaders and refugee-led organsations/networks.   Financial target: $30,000These will include:-    Refugee leaders representation at Global Refugee Forum, Geneva (Switzerland) - Dec. 2023-    Refugee-led networking events-    Fund for refugees who need sponsorship to attend high-level advocacy events-    Community of Practice - refugee (exclusively) participation within the group   Specific indicators of success: -    Number of refugee leaders/organisations attending national or international foras, and participating in decision-making processes. -    RLOs/networks strengthened - measured through increased attendance, levels of member participation-    Launch and progress of the Community of Progress   PartnershipsWe will partner with a number of existing refugee-led organisations and/or networks who are focusing on advocacy, improved representation and have developed refugee networks. These partners will be invited to submit an Expression of Interest and be partners and beneficiaries of the pooled-fund. These partners will share in the promotion and fundraising objectives of the fund.   What is a pooled-fund? On Reframe, pooled-funds have been created to support refugee-led response to emergencies or thematic areas of work e.g Ebola Outbreak in Uganda, Education in Emergencies. The pooled-fund on Reframe gives donors the opportunity to learn about the response and donate to a group of RLOs who are involved. The donor can find out information about the project and donate through the page.  Cohere receives these donates and distributes the funds to the different partner organisations. Cohere takes a small percentage of the donation to facilitate this transfer. 

What’s happening in Sudan? On the 15th April 2023, violence broke out in Sudan’s capital Khartoum between the country’s army and a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces. The situation has continued to escalate and has spread to areas across the country, including the Darfur region. Despite an agreement between the military players to have a ceasefire, the fighting has reportedly continued.   According to the World Health Organisation, more than 450 people have been killed in the conflict and 4,000 wounded so far. The country has come to a standstill with hospitals closed, citizens struggling to access basic food and sanitation supplies.   How are refugees affected? So far, it is reported that over 700,000 people have been displaced by fighting across the country and 150,000 refugees have fled to neighboring states Chad and South Sudan as violence rages across the country (UNHCR), with some individuals traveling as far as Uganda.   Sudan is home to over one million refugees, about 75% of whom are from South Sudan, and mostly based in the Khartoum and White Nile states. According to ACAPS , 48% of the refugee population in Sudan are under 18. These communities will be directly affected by the violence.   Refugee-led response Refugee leaders and organisations are playing a critical role in supporting their communities as things continue to unfold across the country. These groups will be particularly vulnerable and need our support urgently.   We have partnered with a number of refugee-led organisations who are working on the ground to help people fleeing the violence including I CAN SOUTH SUDAN, Sudanese Women for Peace and Development Association, and GRTR Uganda.   I CAN SOUTH SUDAN, an organisation based in South Sudan and Uganda, will be supporting refugees with the provision of clothes, food, water, shelter and other basic needs at reception centers which are being set up to receive new arrivals. Beyond immediate needs they will offering legal support and child protection services to those in need.   Your money will help organisations provide safety and important supplies to those in need. Will you support them today?   Do you know any refugee-led organisations working in Khartoum or Darfur? Please reach out to j.abumbah@wearecohere.org so we can connect with them.

Bright Futures is a consortium of RLOs working to provide opportunities for children with disabilities. Refugee children with disabilities (CWDs) are stigmatized and discriminated against within their communities as such they lack access to social services such as quality education. Due to the lack of information, together with the segregation, many of the CWDs have never been diagnosed or enrolled in school and suffer neglect from their families. These children and their parents represent the most vulnerable members within their communities. In addition, any enrolled CWDs often have limitations in accessing classrooms thus inhibiting their participation and often leading to their inability to continue education. The cost of taking care of CWDs is very high children is very high as they require special attention throughout the day as well as like good nutrition and personal care products which require additional resources or additional support to lead quality lives which their parents may not be able to provide owing to their need to provide additional attention needed for to their children throughout the day. Who we are Bright futures comprises of 4 RLOs across 4 refugee settlements; South West Uganda, West Nile and Kampala , with a mission of addressing challenges faced by CWD within these settlements through partnering with technical specialists and other stakeholders to provide specialized support to enable these children live fulfilled lives The intervention We provide specialist assessments to CWDs and through offering targeted training to their parents to support the development of CWDs while at home. Further, we work with schools to improve access to school through improvement of the school infrastructure as well as strengthen the capacity of teachers to embrace an inclusive pedagogy. We use a holistic approach with participation from the community to ensure CWD access other key social services through referrals and partnerships. Reach We have reached 1200+CWDs with individualized support and learning materials, trained 1170+ parents and caregivers in home-based care for CWD, enrolled 200+ in formal learning centers and , distributed 252+assistive devices and improved physical access to 20+ schools and community learning hubs.

Gaining employment as a refugee in East Africa is harder than for a national. Refugees face discrimination both in entering the job market and in the monthly salary they receive once entering the job market. Barriers to refugee livelihoods lead to extreme poverty and long term negative life outcomes. The levels of poverty faced by households in Kakuma in northern Kenya can be illustrated in the behaviour of 43% of families who employ immediately harmful coping mechanisms such as spending entire days without eating.   However, there are opportunities for refugees to engage in and contribute to local and international economic growth. With the right skills, investments and networks, refugees are playing a key role in local value chains such as retail, services, manufacturing and agriculture.   With improving connectivity and market linkages refugees all over the world are engaging in remote work and generating income on-line. The pooled fund is designed to be efficient and to maximize the amount of donor funding that reaches communities affected by displacement. Cohere partners with enterprising RLOs supporting the livelihoods of their community members in the most cost-efficient manner.   Through the pooled fund, Cohere as the fund manager is able to most closely connect donors with the cause they are supporting, significantly reducing the administrative wastage associated with humanitarian funding.

**********THIS POOLED FUND HAS BEEN CLOSED. UGANDA HAS BEEN DECLARED EBOLA FREE AND ALL THE FUNDS HAVE BEEN DISBURSED AND SPENT, SEE REPORT ABOVE************************** On 20th September, the Ugandan Ministry of Health confirmed an outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Mubende District in Central Uganda. So far, the outbreak is reported to have killed 55 people of the 140 cumulative confirmed cases. The virus has now spread across the country, including cases and one death being reported in the country’s capital, Kampala. With an incubation period ranging from two to 21 days, and currently no tested vaccine for this Sudan strain of the virus, this deadly disease poses a very real threat to Ugandans and refugees across the country. President Museveni has announced a three-week lockdown in the districts of Mubende and Kassanda, including strict curfews and for public spaces including churches, gyms and bars to remain closed. Cohere partners with a number of refugee-led organisations in these affected areas, including Tomorrow Vijana in Rwamwanja and YIDA and YARID in Kyaka, amongst others. These organisations will play a critical role in the coming months to protect and sensitise their communities, and helping them implement mitigating measures to stop the spread of the deadly virus. They need our support to do this as soon as possible. By donating to this pooled-fund you will be supporting these organisations as they run communications campaigns and awareness raising activities in their communities. By activating these initiatives quickly, they could save thousands of peoples’ lives, and prevent another devastating epidemic in a country that has not yet recovered from the impact of COVID-19. We must act quickly. Will you support them? DONATE By donating through our platform Reframe you can ensure that your money will directly reach the people who need it most. Refugee-led organisations are the first and last line of defence for their communities. When they lead, their responses tend to be more efficient, effective and sustainable. We’ve learnt this time and time again. By transferring the power and the money to them, they can transform their communities. Please support them today.

Climate change is disproportionately affecting refugee-hosting areas of Africa with 82% of refugees residing in climate-change hotspots. Access to natural resources is vital to provide refugees with income, food and water security yet climate change is reducing the availability and increasing competition for such resources. Meanwhile refugees already face multiple socio-economic and political barriers to realising sustainable livelihoods, good nutrition, adequate health care and opportunities for quality education and mobility. As such, refugees and hosting communities are more exposed and sensitive to the impacts of climate change on their health and livelihoods and less able to absorb and adapt to the increasing frequency of extreme weather events. Nevertheless, multiple known refugee-led organisations are taking actions to build the ability of their communities to build resilience and sustain and develop prosperity under such constraints. Through the pooled fund, the fund manager, Cohere is able to most closely connect donors with the cause they are supporting, significantly reducing the administrative wastage associated with humanitarian funding.

Refugee children face a challenging start to life. The psychosocial impact of being forcibly displaced coupled with the inadequate opportunities for education negatively affects their childhood development experiences resulting in a deficient quality of life. The gross enrolment rate for refugee children in primary school stands at 68% leaving millions of children without an education. Eg, In Uganda, for instance, there are over 400,000 children out of school. Formal education systems in refugee-hosting countries cannot meet the educational needs of refugees by themselves. Refugee-led organizations are playing a vital role in closing the existing education gaps. Examples of refugee-led education initiatives include: reaching the most marginalized persons such as children with disabilities with tailored education support; After-school clubs for homework, extra-curricular, social, and emotional learning; Language classes for children who don’t understand the language of formal instruction; Supporting formal schools on issues of safety and child protection; Vocational education for youth who have dropped out of school and keeping education going during crises.   This opportunity is hosted on reframe.network through a pooled fund, with Cohere acting as a fund manager to connect donors directly with the frontline responders, significantly reducing the administrative wastage associated with humanitarian funding. This is a rolling fund, with more funding coming in at any time. Eligible RLOs will each receive a £5000(Equivalent to 22,725,000 Uganda Shillings; 730,000 Kenyan Shillings) grant to implement their respective projects in a timeframe of 6 months to 12 months.   How to apply  To apply please complete this Application Form and click on the send button. If successful you will be informed of the next steps. Applications are FREE of charge at all stages. If you have any questions please contact info@wearecohere.org

One of the worst climate-induced emergencies of the past 40 years is unfolding in Eastern Africa. Over 50 million people across Eastern Africa will face acute food insecurity this year, due to failed rainy seasons across the region. (WFP) Four consecutive rainy seasons have failed, a climatic event not seen in at least 40 years resulting in some of the driest seasons ever recorded across the region (UNICEF). Over a million people have been displaced across Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. Families across the region have been forced to leave everything behind in search of food and water, and put their health, safety and education at risk. Refugee Led Organisations in East Africa are among the key frontline responders to the famine. Many refugees in East Africa have been displaced directly by famine and drought or by conflicts in places affected by droughts. They can understand and therefore their response is more relevant and effective. It is always the most vulnerable communities who are worst affected - refugees are no different. With over one million people already displaced as a results of the drought and famine, there will be considerable impact in refugee hosting areas. Refugee leadership will be essential. As refugees themselves, the refugee leaders and organisations we work with are often the point of contact for other families/friends/contacts from their country of origin - this connection often guides others that have been displaced, and this is already happening as a result of the famine. Refugee-led organisations in East Africa are most commonly operating in refugee camps or settlements on the borders where displaced people from the famine are most likely to arrive. This puts them on the frontline of response - both in the short term and for necessary longer term response. The pooled fund is designed to be efficient and maximise the amount of donor funding that reaches communities affected by the famine. Through the pooled fund, the fund manager, Cohere is able to most closely connect donors with the cause they are supporting, significantly reducing the administrative wastage associated with humanitarian funding.