About us

The Refugee Innovation Centre, launched in March 2016, bringing Access to Digital Technology and Social Entrepreneurship workshops to Refugees based in the Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement in Kamwenge, Uganda. Rwamwanja is a large settlement, where more than 80,000 refugees, who fled war from the Eastern DRC, South Sudan, Rwanda and Burundi, since 2012, have been living for 10 years. With little opportunity for employment, our youth sit idle. We had no choice; we had to act with minimum resources. We began on a shoestring, working through volunteerism to promote quality Digital Skills, Menstrual hygiene, Education and building capacity of fellow social entrepreneurs in rwamwanja Refugee Settlement. Mission: is to provide our peers with the confidence, knowledge and skills to integrate into local economies alleviating the widespread poverty and the traumas of conflict through Education, relief and Digital Technology. Refugee Innovation centre is also a member of a Global Movement for Social Entrepreneurs by name Catalyst 2030 that promotes collaborations to achieve SDGs. The following are areas of interventions of Refugee Innovation Centre: Digital Library : ease and provide access to more than 6 Million Data from different search engines. DL does not need data to access learning materials from different websites as it was provided through a strong partnership with Paisley’s Pals with the aim of to give direct access to information resources, both digital and non-digital, in a structured and authoritative manner and thus to link information technology, education and culture in contemporary library service. Early Childhood Development Program: Rwamwanja hosts thousands of children that crossed their age of starting schools and most of them end up losing the chance to be in school forever. RIC intervenes in Preschool Programs by Mobilizing parents to take children to schools and supporting Preschool with Learning Materials that promotes STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Unsupported school Rwamwanja Refugee Community and Hosting community. Health: RIC provides training in Menstrual Hygiene Management to young adolescent girls between 12-18 years of age. In 2021, RIC has trained 656 Adolescent girls and has provided 300 reusable sanitary pads (produced by AfriPads) plus 18 disposable sanitary pads. Ride for Change: At the end of 2021, RIC came up with an idea of reaching the unreached people like those living with disabilities and elderlies who are not able to move towards support centers but always wait for support from their home due to lack of mobility. In this aspect, basing on 6 bicycles donated by the Paisley’s Pals, RIC started a “Ride for Change'' program aiming at informing and supporting unreached with sustainable solutions. According to available resources and then in 2021, Refugee Innovation Centre was able to support 20 Households with special Needs in Rwamwanja Refugee settlement. Subsequently, RIC with donation from Paisley’s Pals was able to support Schools with more than 400 books for reading for both Pre-Primary, Primary and Early Secondary Education Programs and books were handed to FCA-Rwamwanja. 2022 as a year of blessings, the Books Aid International has commited 1,779 books donation through a one year partnership with Refugee Innovation Centre to distribute in different Schools (Pre-schools, Primary and Secondary Education) to promote reading culture among students.

Annual Operating Budget: 17,500 USD

Annual Beneficiary Reach: 1,900