TOMORROW VIJANA

About Us

‘TOMORROW VIJANA’ is a Kiswahili language word which when translated in English means ‘Tomorrow’s Youths/People. In effect, our focus is ‘tomorrow’ or the future, a better future of our peoples and our community. Tomorrow Vijana is a refugee-led organization founded in January 2014 in Rwamwanja refugee settlement in Kamwenge District, in South-western Uganda. The idea to start TOMORROW VIJANA first emerged mainly after recognizing the language barrier encountered by the refugees in the settlement. Initially, two of ‘Tomorrow Vijana’ founders went through the entire settlement interacting and engaging with refugee communities, refugee leaders, UNHCR officials and staff from the Office of the Prime Minister, developmental implementing agencies and partners. The aim of this interaction was to understand salient challenges that were impacting our refugee community. After this initial engagement with the various stakeholders, we realized that the main factor affecting the refugee community was difficulty to easily integrate into the host community. This was attributed to lack of English language speaking and writing skills. Our refugees were coming from mainly francophone countries like Congo where Kiswahili and French predominantly spoken. They thus found it hard to speak English, or local dialects in Kamwenge, where English is the official language of communication. To avert this crisis, TOMORROW VIJANA’s founders immediately decided to begin volunteering in teaching Basic English Language and Communication skills to interested refugees, both Adult and Young. This was in kyempango C where it was offering literacy courses and Basic English lessons to the community of kyempango under a tree. This went on for close to two years, and during this time, TOMORROW VIJANA continued building trust and hope in the community with its beginner English language lessons. Later, TOMORROW VIJANA was able to get an opportunity to partner with Xavier Project(COHERE) in 2017 and from the partnership Xavier Project supported TOMORROW VIJANA to build a community learning Hub and equipped it with furniture and library for the community to support classes and research. To this improved capacity, TOMORROW VIJANA started offering computer lessons to both young and refugees’ children. It is worth noting that thanks to this Partnership and improved capacity, refugees and surrounding host community have benefited from our English language lessons, and have gone ahead to easily integrate into the host communities and play a developmental role in their community’s wellbeing. At present Tomorrow Vijana has since expanded its scale of operation, via analyzing other emerging community needs other than the language barrier and is currently engaged in activities such as Education, Protection, Community Mobilization, livelihood activities (tailoring, farming, and backyard gardening). STRATEGIC PARTNESHIPS TO FOSTER DEVELOPMENT IN REFUGEE COMMUNITIES TOMORROW VIJANA is always determined to play an active role in its Partnerships, and in solving emerging refugee community challenges. For instance, in response to the covid19 pandemic, TOMORROW VIJANA in 2020, in partnership with UNHCR, was able to make 15,500 masks which were donated to needy refugee families in Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement. During the covid-19 pandemic breakout, TOMORROW VIJANA with the big support from Xavier Project(COHERE), succeeded in supporting refugees with albinism living in Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement with basic needs (food and none food items) to overcome the difficult time when the community where in lockdown and most of income-generating activities have been suspended due to covid-19. TOMORROW VIJANA played an active role of community mobilization in Rwamwanja refugee in Partnership with ADRA funded by the UN World Food Program, Tomorrow Vijana facilitated the effectiveness of logistical assistance to refugees such as food and cash distribution. From 2019 to date, TOMORROW VIJAANA conjunction with COHERE is implementing a project of supporting children with disability in Rwamwanja settlement and Surrounding host community, with HEA/COMIC RELIEF funded project TOMORROW VIJANA has managed to identify 300 children with disability such as Epilepsy, Down Syndrome, Microcephalus, Autism and Cerebral Palsy among others. In the year 2022 in collaboration with COHORE, OSF managed to fund one year the digital learning project which is a project being implemented by TOMORROW VIJANA in Base-Camp II Zone. Still in 2022 Tomorrow Vijana was able to write a proposal of expanding the learning in others Zones of the Settlement by CONSTRUCTING LEARNING CENTERS and main OFFICES, this proposal was funded by a coalition of Refugee Led Organization (RESOURCING REFUGEE LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE) in partnering with ASYLUM ACCESS, the construction of the learning Center took place in Nkoma C Zone. solid waste management project funded OXFAM. Tomorrow Vijana is also implementing a 3 years Agri-Business project in partnership with COHERE funded by OPPORTUNITY BANK INTERNATIONAL. TOMORROW VIJANA is determined to continue championing the building of partnerships with like-minded organizations and individuals that are willing to support our humanitarian cause. OUR STRENGTHEN • We know our community better and we are living with the community. • We know the needs of the community from the grass roots. • We have good skills in risk assessment • We have developed a strong financial management system • We are motivated as a team to influence positive change in our community. OPPORTUNITIES: - Possibility for partnerships with International Organizations, Online Grants for NGOs, OPM and other Refugee led Organization’s to share knowledge, skills, funding etc.

Annual Operating Budget: 310,000 USD

Annual Beneficiary Reach: 18,648

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Our Partnerships

Our Current Funding Partners

COHERE , ADRA uganda, WFP, RRLI(Resourcing Refugee Leadership Initiative)

Previous Funding Partners

LWF,UHNCR

Our Network Affiliations

- RWAMWANJA REFUGEE-LED ORGANIZATION NETWORK (RRLON) - BORA TOGETHER NETWORK

Optional Support Partner

Cohere

Support Partners can play an optional role bridging various gaps between RLOs and their supporters around the world.

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Additional Information

Our Community and Beneficiaries

Tomorrow Vijana mainly focuses on serving the community of refugees affected by different crises in their countries of origin facing difficult integration into the host community due to the language barrier. Tomorrow Vijana has so far reached 1350 beneficiaries by offering basic English, literacy courses, ICT, and sewing lessons. Tomorrow Vijana has also reached 95% of the community living in Rwamwanja settlement in terms of information sharing using a public addressing system during this period of the covid-19 pandemic where tomorrow Vijana has massively shared messages related to covid-19 to the community not accessing the information on the radio and on social media. Tomorrow Vijana remains committed to serving the refugee community and restoring the hope and dreams of refugees. Our challenge is limited funds but we are committed to using locally generated solutions to solve the problems of our community, and we shall continue championing the rights of refugees and their livelihoods. TOMORROW VIJANA Projection year 2022 Tomorrow Vijana has been providing lifelong skills such as Digital literacy skills, livelihood activities, and training, English for Adult level 1, English for Adult level II, Job Readiness training and community engagement/mobilization, mental health intervention in Rwamwanja refugee Settlement, with a focus on improving youth and boost the community at large the living standard, Tomorrow Vijana effectively completed the year 2022 with 998 beneficiaries participated directly in our programs against 1090 targeted number and managed to disseminate information on WFP general food assistance related messages, Ebola messages and other world events messages to 17,650 households against 19730 existing household within Rwamwanja Refugee settlement. In general, Tomorrow Vijana was able to convert its resources into activities and output with estimated effectiveness and achieved an average score of 96 % on its outcome indicators. DEPARTMENT TARGET ACHIEVEMENT PERCENTAGE English for Adult level I 50 50 100% English for Adult level II 75 96 128% Functional Adult Literacy 50 45 90% Job Readiness (Training ) 150 152 101% ICT 300 252 84% PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT 100 92 92% AGRICULTURE 250 196 78% COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT/MOBILIZATION 19,730 17,650 89% CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES SUPPORT 115 115 100% TOTAL 20820 18648 96%

Other Operating Locations

We currently operate in Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement in Uganda, only.

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