U-Learn Uganda

30/03/2026

🔔 Reminder to Register for the webinar on , and happening tomorrow!

How can we ensure that evidence actually informs decision-making in humanitarian and refugee contexts? Join ALNAP, Shelter Centre, Response Innovation Lab - RIL and U-Learn tomorrow for an engaging webinar exploring practical approaches, innovative frameworks, and real-world experiences shaping how learning and evidence are used in policy and programming.

This session brings together global and local actors to discuss:

▶️ Strengthening learning systems in humanitarian response
▶️ Promoting inclusive and locally led knowledge management
▶️ Turning evidence into actionable insights for real impact

Register using this link https://zoom.us/meeting/register/eqZV29c7Q2S_x8S6ejVBcA #/registration to be part of the conversation shaping more effective, evidence-driven responses.

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Translating Learning, Innovation and Knowledge into action for the humanitarian response. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.

25/03/2026

Day 1 of the OPM Uganda Validation Workshop for the Partnership Coordination and Monitoring System (PCMS) marks an important step toward strengthening coordination in Uganda’s refugee response.

Bringing together government, UN agencies, NGOs, and civil society, the workshop highlights a shared commitment to improving how we work together, especially in a context of increasing needs and shrinking resources.

In his opening remarks, Save the Children Uganda Country Director Famari Barro emphasized that coordination, information sharing, and partnerships are no longer optional but essential.

U-Learn is proud to support the integration of the Partnership Coordination and Monitoring System (PCMS) and Settlement Level Actor Mapping (SLAM), helping to improve information access, reduce duplication, and strengthen evidence-based decision-making.

A key message from today: access to information is not a luxury—it is a necessity. Strengthening data systems is critical to enabling better collaboration, more inclusive partnerships, and a more effective response.
This work also reinforces localisation as a central priority, ensuring that responses are locally led, and inclusive of all actors.

24/03/2026

📢 Register Now: Webinar on Learning, Innovation & Evidence Uptake

How can we ensure that evidence actually informs decision-making in humanitarian and refugee contexts? Join our upcoming webinar to explore practical approaches, innovative frameworks, and real-world experiences shaping how learning and evidence are used in policy and programming.

This session brings together global and local actors to discuss:

Strengthening learning systems in humanitarian response
Promoting inclusive and locally led knowledge management
Turning evidence into actionable insights for real impact

🗓 Date: 31st March
⏰ Time: 2:00 PM (EAT)

👉 Register here or scan the QR code provided: https://lnkd.in/e8tqrY7k

Be part of the conversation driving evidence-based humanitarian action.

03/03/2026

A few days ago, U-Learn convened government, humanitarian, conservation, private sector and development actors to reflect on a critical question:
How do we counter land degradation while strengthening self-reliance in Uganda’s refugee response?

As food security, livelihoods, and energy interventions expand across refugee-hosting districts, the ecological foundations that sustain both refugee and host communities need to be safeguarded. Conservation of land, forests, water systems, wildlife, and broader ecosystems is not peripheral to humanitarian action but central to long-term resilience, climate adaptation, and sustainable self-reliance.

The convener created space to:
▶️ Map ongoing conservation initiatives within and beyond the refugee response
▶️ Examine operational barriers affecting impact and sustainability
▶️ Showcase practical approaches already demonstrating results
▶️ Identify system-level improvements to strengthen coordination and scale

A highlight of the day was the panel discussion, which brought together perspectives from World Vision Uganda., Mercy Corps, Whocot Uganda , Northern Uganda Widows and Orphans support Organization (NUWOSO), UK in Uganda, and Uganda Biodiversity Fund. The conversation explored practical and actionable ways to better integrate land and ecosystem conservation into humanitarian and refugee response programming while ensuring that immediate needs do not compromise long-term environmental sustainability.

The curated conservation showcase featured partners including Uganda Wildlife Authority, Opportunity Bank Uganda Ltd, Conservation Through Public Health, WHOCOT Uganda, Amabanda Uganda Limited and others — demonstrating the diversity of conservation approaches already underway.

A key takeaway from the day was clear: sustainable land stewardship must be embedded within livelihoods, agriculture, and energy programming. If self-reliance is the goal, then protecting and restoring ecosystems is part of the pathway.

U-Learn remains committed to facilitating evidence-informed dialogue and strengthening learning uptake across Uganda’s refugee response.

We thank all partners who contributed insights and practical commitments toward advancing environmental sustainability alongside humanitarian action. Special thanks to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Global Protected Areas Programme and Ministry of Water and Environment MWE for setting the scene for the discussions.



Response Innovation Lab - RIL

21/02/2026

Energy challenges don’t sit in isolation, they shape outcomes in education, health, protection, and livelihoods. That’s why scaling sustainable clean energy solutions in Uganda’s refugee response requires coordinated, cross-sector action.

U-Learn and it's partners, convened a multi-stakeholder dialogue to reflect on progress made, identify remaining barriers, and refine strategies to ensure clean energy solutions are not only accessible but sustainable and scalable.

The conversation continues and key insights will be shared soon.

🎥 Watch the recap video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nJsZ8biv30

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Mercy Corps Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office UK in Uganda Response Innovation Lab - RIL Save the Children International

Recap of the National Convener on Scaling Sustainable Fuel & Clean Energy Solutions. Supported by UKaid and U-Learn

21/02/2026

Energy access and climate resilience are not optional in Uganda’s refugee response — they are foundational to environmental sustainability, livelihoods, and protection.

As one of the world’s largest refugee-hosting countries, Uganda faces growing pressure on forests, land, and energy systems, particularly in and around refugee settlements. Deforestation, land degradation, and rising fuel demand are intensifying climate vulnerability for both refugee and host communities.

But energy poverty is not only an environmental issue — it is also a protection and gender issue. In many settlements, girls and women are responsible for collecting firewood. As wood sources become scarce and distances increase, so do safety risks, including exposure to harassment and abuse. Limited access to clean cooking solutions directly affects dignity, safety, time use, and opportunity.

This video brings together technical expertise and community perspectives:

* Solomon Bhaghabhonerano, Founder of Live in Green, shares insights on community-driven renewable energy solutions and clean cooking technologies that reduce environmental degradation while improving livelihoods.

* Violet Kanyiginya, Head of Food Security & Environmental Conservation at KRC Uganda, discusses the intersection of food security, environmental conservation, and energy use — highlighting both ecological pressures and the gendered impacts of fuel scarcity.

* Leonardo Frisani, URRI Consortium Manager at Uganda Refugee Response Initiative, explores coordination frameworks and scalable, systems-based innovation approaches within the refugee response.

Premiered at the Clean Energy Access Workshop in Kampala (12/02/2026), this is the first of five videos examining practical innovations and forward-looking solutions shaping sustainable energy and climate action in refugee contexts.

Sustainable energy reduces emissions.
It protects ecosystems.
It strengthens livelihoods.
And it enhances safety and resilience.

Watch and join the conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBFTGfDShmU
UK AID Save the Children International Response Innovation Lab - RIL

17/02/2026

🌱 Innovation Spotlight: Women Initiative for Holistic Community Transformation (WHOCOT) Uganda

As part of U-Learn’s Climate Innovations Call, we are proud to highlight Initiative for Holistic Community Transformation Uganda (Whocot Uganda ) and its Optimized Land Use Model (OLUM).

Designed for the small, fragmented plots allocated to refugee and host community families in settlements such as Rhino Camp and Imvepi, OLUM maximizes productivity and nutrition security through climate-smart agriculture and sustainable resource management.

The model integrates raised beds, tower gardens, sack mounds, and vertical gardens with fast-maturing, drought-tolerant crops to make every square meter productive. Beyond cultivation techniques, OLUM invests in people — particularly women and youth — through hands-on training in soil health, pest management, water conservation, and post-harvest handling.

By strengthening access to quality inputs through community-managed hubs and flexible credit schemes, and by fostering cooperative farming groups that unite refugees and host communities, WHOCOT is advancing both climate resilience and social cohesion.

Through U-Learn’s Climate Innovations Call, we are supporting the documentation, dissemination, and wider uptake of this model across the refugee response and beyond.


Save the Children Response Innovation Lab - RIL

16/02/2026

🌍 Innovation Spotlight: Opportunity Bank Uganda Limited

As part of U-Learn’s Climate Innovations Call, we are proud to spotlight Opportunity Bank Uganda Ltd(OBUL) for its leadership in climate-smart finance.

With support from KfW and the East African Development Bank, OBUL piloted a two-year Biodiversity Financing Facility promoting climate-smart and biodiversity-friendly enterprises across value chains such as organic agriculture, agroforestry and renewable energy.

A key innovation is the development of a climate-proofing tool that guides loan appraisal, ensuring financing is directed toward enterprises delivering both environmental and socio-economic impact. Rolled out across all branches — including Nakivale within the refugee settlement — the pilot disbursed over 900 loans worth USD 3.7 million.

Through U-Learn’s Climate Innovations Call, we are supporting the dissemination and uptake of this tool across the refugee response and beyond, helping embed climate resilience into financial systems at scale.
Save the Children Response Innovation Lab - RIL Danish Refugee Council

04/02/2026

🎥 We are reposting this Webinar, organised by Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative, whose insights remain ever so relevant today!

With funding models changing fast, self-reliance is more important than ever. This webinar explores how organisations and communities can stay resilient, reduce dependency on external funding, and thrive long-term.

🔑 Highlights:
- Shifting funding landscapes 📈
- Building operational resilience 💪
- Practical self-reliance frameworks 🛠
- Strengthening community & networks 🤝

📌 Watch Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e5xL-aF8j0

03/02/2026

30/01/2026

📘 New Report Released | of Gender, Labour and Social Development (Uganda)

The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development has published the “Report for the End Term Evaluation of the Jobs and Livelihoods Integrated Response Plan (JLIRP) for Refugees and Host Communities.”

The report assesses the impact of JLIRP (2020–2025) on livelihoods, social cohesion, skills development, and self-reliance among refugees and host communities across Uganda, and provides evidence-based recommendations to inform the next phase of the response.

🔎 Key finding: Over 95% of refugees and host community members reported feeling safe, highlighting a significant improvement in social cohesion and peaceful coexistence in refugee-hosting districts.

📥 The full report is available for download on the U-Learn website:
https://ulearn-uganda.org/report-for-the-end-term-evaluation-of-jlirp-for-refugees-and-host-communities/

13/01/2026

We’re excited to share that the new and improved Settlement Level Actor Mapping (SLAM) tool is live.

Developed by U-Learn in close collaboration with the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and other partners, the updated SLAM now reflects the same data and structure used by OPM through the Uganda Refugee Response Monitoring System (URRMS), now known as the Partnership Coordination & Monitoring System (PCMS) while making this information more accessible to a wider audience.

What’s new?
- A refreshed layout and improved user experience
- Data aligned with OPM’s Partnership Coordination & Monitoring System (PCMS).
- Clearer categorisation for easier exploration
- Increased visibility of local actors at settlement level
- Stronger support for partnerships between national and settlement-level stakeholders

SLAM supports localisation in Uganda’s refugee response by ensuring local actors are visible and that information is easier to access, explore, and use.

Explore the updated SLAM here: https://ulearn-uganda.org/slam/
If you have questions or would like to learn more about how to use the tool, feel free to reach out to us on [email protected].



Response Innovation Lab - RIL the Children UNHCR Uganda