From lived experience to policy change: Refugee-led organisations shaping solutions across Eastern Africa

For Nyakuma Peter, a South Sudanese refugee returnee, lived experience informs everything she does. Having experienced displacement herself, she now leads an organisation that supports reconciliation and social cohesion in communities affected by conflict.

“Refugees understand what displaced people go through because they have lived it,” she says.

Her organisation works with displaced families, women and young people, helping them rebuild livelihoods, strengthen relationships and create opportunities for a better future. Nyakuma is one of a growing number of refugee leaders across Eastern and Southern Africa who are turning lived experience into action.

Refugee-led organisations have long been supporting communities affected by displacement, both the forcibly displaced themselves as well as their local hosts. They help young people access education, support women to build livelihoods, promote peaceful coexistence and respond to challenges that refugees face every day. Because they are led by people with lived experience of displacement, they often understand community needs better than anyone else.

Today, these organisations are doing more than delivering services. They are increasingly contributing to conversations about policies that affect refugees and their host communities. Behind these efforts is a growing movement of refugee-led organizations making a difference in their communities. Through the innovation fund supported by the Mastercard Foundation Policy Grant, 29 Refugee-led organizations have received support helping reach hundreds of people directly and thousands more through their work. Together, they have supported 492 young people to access livelihood opportunities.

Across Eastern and Southern Africa, refugee leaders are also advocating for greater inclusion, access to work, legal recognition and opportunities for young people and women. Their experiences and insights are helping shape discussions at community, national and regional levels.

In Rwanda, Solange, a refugee youth leader, is focused on expanding opportunities for young people.

She has seen first-hand how education, skills development and mentorship can help refugee youth become more self-reliant and contribute to their communities.

“Change is possible,” she says. “But everyone has a role to play.”

In Uganda, Vanessa works with refugee women to strengthen livelihoods and connect entrepreneurs with opportunities. “It’s people leading change in their own communities,” she says.

Despite their contributions, many RLOs continue to face barriers. Limited access to funding, partnerships and formal recognition can restrict their ability to grow and expand their impact. These challenges are also why meaningful participation in policy discussions matters. When RLOs are included in conversations about laws, policies and programmes, they bring practical knowledge grounded in experience. They help decision-makers better understand the realities faced by displaced communities and identify solutions that work.

Through the Mastercard Foundation Policy Grant, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is supporting efforts to strengthen the participation of refugee-led organisations, youth leaders and women-led refugee organisations in strategic policy discussions. The initiative aims to ensure that people with lived experience of displacement are not only consulted but are able to contribute meaningfully to decisions that affect their lives.

In October 2025, refugee leaders from across the region came together at a regional workshop focused on strengthening refugee leadership ana meaningful participation. Bringing together refugee leaders, government representatives, partners and UNHCR. The discussions centred on how refugees can move from being consulted to helping shape the policies and systems that affect their communities. Participants highlighted common priorities including stronger recognition of refugee-led organizations, greater access to funding and partnerships, increased support for women and youth leadership and more opportunities for refugee leaders to participate in national and regional decision-making spaces.

As RLOs continue to expand their impact, they are helping shape more effective and inclusive responses to displacement, from creating livelihood opportunities to influencing policies that affect refugees and host communities alike.

For Vanessa, that starting point is... “It’s people leading change in their own communities,” she says.