Let’s look back, reflect and see what courage, connection and change has done…
As 2026 begins, we pause. We breathe. We look back.
2025 was a year that stretched us in every direction. Yet it was also a year that revealed how courage, connection, and community can transform uncertainty into resilience.
Through LEAD Uganda, we saw change, quiet but powerful, in places that are often overlooked. We saw young people mastering new skills. Women starting their own businesses. Communities learning to grow food differently, together.
LEAD Uganda is a partnership, a shared journey, carried by twelve remarkable local partners CECI, Ceford, COWF, Grapes of New Hope, Hamiza Development Foundation, IFRAD, Palm Corps, SSURA, TUNADO, UCOBAC, USSIA and YARID, working in close partnership with Woord en Daad, and supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Together, we walk the long road. The road of listening deeply, of leading locally, and of building from within.
And this year, we saw what that looks like.
In Palabek, a tailoring student shared how her training is bringing peace at home. Her husband supports her now. There’s shared pride, and shared hope. In Zone 6, tomato and eggplant seedlings stretch into green rows, nurtured by young hands using climate-smart farming for the first time.
In Kiryandongo, youth-led soap and chicken businesses are taking shape. In Yumbe and Terego, over 250 young people began training in bakery, carpentry, tailoring, and more with local mentors, in their own communities.
And despite unexpected hurdles, like delayed funding, rising land costs, and climate stress, our partners chose to adapt, to learn, and to stay grounded in the realities of those they serve.
Learning and reflection
In Arua, all twelve partners gathered for honest reflection. We looked at what’s working, and where we need to grow, we built trust together. We built bridges between refugee and host communities. We built a movement where local leadership is fully embraced. And shared vision and tools and shared strength.
And through it all, one thing became clear: the people closest to the challenges are also closest to the solutions.
So as we step into 2026, we carry the stories of last year as fuel. We take the learnings, the energy, and the commitment to keep showing up, especially when it’s hard.
To every person who trained, who taught, who listened, who believed: thank you.
Let’s keep walking this road. Together.
#LEADUganda #LocalLeadership #RefugeeEmpowerment #TogetherWeThrive
Co-creation workshop
Monitoring visit in Nakivale Refugees Settlement – assessing the project from bakery and motorcycle repair workshops to apiculture enterprises and soap making groups.
