Empowering youth through Refugee-led social business: With the UN Refugee-Led Innovation Fund, we have engaged 20 young entrepreneurs within the Bidibidi Refugee Settlement Zone 1. Over 18 months, our project will expand to support 60 entrepreneurs. By doing so, we believe we can enhance economic stability for youth, aligning with our vision to foster a community marked by Responsibility, Empowerment, Productivity, and Self-reliance."1

With support from Bridging Gaps and YYVentures, Afri-Youth Network has impacted the lives of stateless Refugees in the Bidibidi Refugee Settlement Zone, with the community-based microloan that has been given to the young entrepreneurs as startup capital for their businesses. So far 23 recipients have benefited from the project and 15 of them benefited out of the matching grand with venture Out of the 15 participants who received the community-based microloan 13 can stand firm with their business Four (4) of them opened a retail shop selling varieties of goods and one (1) of them is making solid soap which is a little bit affordable for the community she lives in, three (3) of them are selling produces like Maize, Beans, and G-nut in stock, one (1) is a Tailor and two (2) are vegetable sellers and one other does Phone charging and retail shop at the same time. One is a barber and he opened a saloon and all of them are doing well in their various businesses. With the little impact we have in the community, there is much demand by interested community members who have ideas of running a business to join the initiative but our hands are tied due to insufficient funding we can support more people and hence it has become a big challenge for us. Community members looked at it as a life-saving initiative that could uplift many other entrepreneurs from nothing to something; others asked questions that where such an opportunity was before. It could have been there that changed the lives of the Refugees.