Tag: inclusion
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Leaning In and Listening from the Ground: Insights from a conference with Rwamwanja refugee farmers
In January, I had, what I can honestly call, the most interesting “conference” I have attended for a very long time. This time it was not in a city boardroom, but in the farmers’ own compound, under the shade of an avocado tree in Nkoma zone, Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement (Uganda). Surrounded by their gardens, tools,…
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Reflections from Geneva on funding flows and the agency gap
R-Space returning to Geneva alongside the GRF Progress Review came with something the sector rarely gets right; a programme designed around refugee leadership. Over three days, the space brought together refugee leaders, organisations, and allies across protection, localisation, disability inclusion, climate, economic inclusion, gender, etc and with a clear signal that refugee expertise belongs at…
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Participation is Not the Path to Inclusion
This is the first blog in a series examining the participation and inclusion of displacement-affected communities in the humanitarian sector. In the humanitarian sector, participation has become a performance. INGOs and other intermediaries use it as proof of accountability and legitimacy to donors, but the way it is structured reveals a system built to preserve…
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Voices from the Ground: When Visibility Replaces Value
In this episode of Voices from the Ground, I explore what it really means to be close to the community; and how trust-building and human relationships can reveal truths that reports and project metrics often miss. Recently, I spent time with a group of refugee women leaders in Rwamwanja settlement. I didn’t go with an…
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« De Réfugiée à Voix Active
Parlant de mon histoire, je suis née en République Démocratique du Congo, un pays riche de culture, de beauté mais aussi marqué par des instabilités profondes. Comme beaucoup, j’ai été contrainte de fuir, non pas parce que je le voulais, mais parce que la vie m’y oblige. Me retrouver en Ouganda comme réfugiée, c’était porter…
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On Shyness About Values
In many of the gatherings I find myself in, I’ve noticed how difficult it can be to talk openly about values. There often seems to be a kind of shyness — a hesitancy to name convictions, to speak of beliefs, or to use language that might be interpreted as ideological. That word, “ideology”, is uncomfortable…
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Language That Divides and Language That Connects
With aid cuts, worsening climate crises, conflict and wars across the globe, it is fair to wonder; why bother with language at all? Isn’t it a distraction from the real work? A change in vocabulary will not save lives or dismantle systems of oppression on its own; and too often, language reform becomes a cosmetic…