Advocating for us without us (Refugee Voices)

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by

Jenny Basika
in

By Jenny Basika and Emmanuel Arika Samuel

Refugee-led organisations are struggling for recognition, because when we talk about marginalisation in the sector it’s not always about funding but also trust and recognition. Refugee-led groups are often questioned for their capacity and accountability and a lot of mistrust on their core values and being talked about like people who misappropriate donor funds.

We recently attended a workshop where a local government representative, who was invited by the RLO hosting the event, used the platform to personally attack and try to tarnish the RLOs  initiatives in front of some potential donors who were present. Why would they do that? Despite widespread claims that NGOs and governments are advocating for localisation, there seems to be a hidden fight to limit and compromise refugee initiatives

From an RLO leader, “Even when we reach out to  them (stakeholders) so that we share the  learning about our work, they do not usually pick interest.

Another one said “They partnered with us for a certain project but we’ve not  known how it was designed, how it started and how it ended, we were just mentioned but never involved in active implementation

The rigid application process for funds and highly competitive proposal writing process is often in vain for RLOs who invest significant time and resources in putting together applications.We are tired of the disappointing response from donors, “ Dear applicant we would like to thank you for your recent application, we apologise for the delay in getting back to applicants after carefully consideration, we regret to inform you that your proposal was not selected for funding due lack of qualification and capacity’’.

Refugees shouldn’t be looked at like PoCs or recipients of aid, but as leaders and, innovators  who can effectively drive towards lasting change in their own  communities 

Governments, Donors, INGOs, NGOs still have a lot to learn from  refugee-led initiatives. Involving and advocating for the local refugee led initiatives shouldn’t feel like an act of charity or moral obligation, but instead it is an opportunity to improve the relevance, efficiency and effectiveness of humanitarian response.

Joining efforts with the local refugee initiatives is not only an act of meaningful humanitarianism  but it is also a way of empowering, giving a chance for people living with forced displacement  to decide their own future and act with resilience.

Comments

4 responses to “Advocating for us without us (Refugee Voices)”

  1. Gady Rukundo Avatar
    Gady Rukundo

    It’s true.
    I work for Innovation for Survivors Foundation (ISF), a Refugee Led Organization in Kyangwali settlement.
    Most of RLOs feedback or reply are “we regret to inform you that …… So far challenges have been increased due to lack of funds to RLOs to run designed projects. Another thing is that the Local government seem to be arrogant and Hippocrates towards Refugees responses.

    We request @WeareCohere to advocate for change, innovations and many more to unlock chances and opportunities to the RLOs especially in Kyangwali Refugees Settlement

    Reply
  2. Gady Rukundo Avatar
    Gady Rukundo

    It’s true.
    I work for Innovation for Survivors Foundation (ISF), a Refugee Led Organization in Kyangwali settlement.
    Most of RLOs feedback or reply are “we regret to inform you that …… So far challenges have been increased due to lack of funds to RLOs to run designed projects. Another thing is that the Local government seem to be arrogant and Hippocrates towards Refugees responses.

    We request @WeareCohere to advocate for change, innovations and many more to unlock chances and opportunities to the RLOs especially in Kyangwali Refugees Settlement

    Reply
  3. John Nicholas Ngota Avatar
    John Nicholas Ngota

    Wow! Thank you for speaking the truth about what we are experiencing on the ground. Many Refugee-Led Organizations, especially the upcoming ones, face serious challenges — from getting recognized by stakeholders to building trust with donors. Most times we are viewed as if we are not competent enough.

    The grant conditions also make things harder. The timelines for submitting applications are very short, yet we need enough time to research and prepare proper project budgets. My humble request is: if donors feel we are not yet strong enough to manage projects, why not design capacity-building programs for Refugee-Led Organizations first? After building our skills and trust, they can then give us the funds with full confidence.

    I truly appreciate the effort Cohere is making to support Refugee-Led Organizations, and I want to give special appreciation to Mr. Emmanuel Arika Samuel, who has been a great mentor to us.

    Reply
  4. Solomon Bhaghabhonerano Avatar
    Solomon Bhaghabhonerano

    Wonderful blog. This truly reflects what we are going through as Refugee-Led Organization (RLO) leaders. Despite having proven models that clearly demonstrate impact, some humanitarian actors, who claim to be working toward refugee self-reliance, often undermine refugee-led interventions.

    Rather than recognizing, trusting, and scaling innovations emerging from refugee communities, they resist them, and in many cases actively suppress or suffocate these initiatives. This creates unnecessary barriers for solutions that are already working on the ground.

    If refugee self-reliance is to be genuinely achieved, there must be a fundamental shift toward trusting refugees, believing in their capacity, and meaningfully supporting innovations led by refugee communities themselves.

    Reply

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