Market place
RISE trains its members on skills in hand work; such as crochet making, soap making and briquettes making. These are aimed at creating mental therapy as well as income for refuges and forced migrants.
Crochet making.
This activity does not only soothe the minds of participants that make it, since it has the ability to make one forget misery and distress commonly associated with refugees.
Women, single mothers have gotten solace from this activity apart from earning income from sales of the products such as hats, blouses, handbags, sweaters etc. These crochet products appeal to both babies, young and the aged and as well as perfect gifts for loved ones.
Soap Making
Refuges have several needs that go unmet. The most basic human needs of food, shelter, medical care negates hygiene. The prices of commodities such as soap, sanitizers are relatively high for refugees; yet they are essential in preventing outbreaks of especially hygiene-related diseases. The dense population in refugee settlements makes hygiene conditions worse.
We therefore train refugees and forced migrants to make their own soaps and related hygiene materials like reusable menstrual pads. They as well earn some income from selling these products to communities in which they live.
Environment services and Briquettes making
RISE recognizes the footprint of the globe on climate. We acknowledge the impacts of mass settlements on the physical environment. RISE deliberately interests itself in partaking in efforts that encourages and supports vegetative regeneration. RISE also promotes practices and methods that help restore ecosystems and biodiversity. We value each and every effort that tries to positively change the changes in climate in line with global conventions like Paris Accord, Rio Declaration and Ugandan Nationally Determined Contributions.
Every refugee and forced migrant just any other human being needs food. Most foods need coking and nearly every household cooks at least a meal daily. In Uganda, the relatively higher cost of electricity from the grid and LPG pushes households to use wood fuel and charcoal as the most preferred source of energy for cooking.
Uganda uses substantial forest cover to energy related needs by households. The situation is even worse where there are refugees’ camps and which woods provide source of wood with which shelters are constructed and the rest harvested for use as fuel wood. RISE engages communities in obtaining alternative sources of energy for especially households. It encourages the use of solar for lighting and recharging small electronic devises, as well as the making of briquettes from locally available bio wastes.
RISE trains on briquettes making and trainees sells briquettes to earn a living. 1 kg of briquettes sells at Uganda shillings 2,000. To order for briquettes, to sponsor training, please contact us.
Literacy trainings
Factors leading to displacement of people do not segregate on age, gender or literacy levels. It affects all categories. Refugees and forced migrants find themselves in awkward environments where cultures are often a shock as a result of especially language barriers. It is often recommended for such migrants to try and learn the languages of the hosts as a survival strategy. Much as children adapt a bit quicker, the more elderly migrants may be a bit slower to adapt to the cultures and languages of the hosts.
To bridge this gap, RISE undertakes literacy trainings in reading, writing and elementary numeracy; including languages.
Business skills trainings
As another survival strategy, RISE provides basic training s of business and entrepreneurships to refugees and as well host communities. This aims at including these minorities to the global community of businesses, which is the backbone of nations. Leaving refugees and forced migrants without learning and practicing business and trade however small, is leaving them behind.
Emergencies and relief
RISE founding members have themselves faced dire need for emergencies of food, shelter and medical care. Forced migrants lack an array of needs. RISE, funds permitting, offers emergencies services to refugees and forced migrants. When it can, RISE provides foods, medical referrals, and temporary shelters for those in distress as well as carrying out nutritional awareness to refugees so the little food that they access is used in a diet – balanced way for healthy living.
RISE operates a small orchard on its office compound to show case some of the essential foods that the body needs and which may be grown on the small plots that they may have access to.
Advocacy
The work of a refugee support agency can be daunting. Some countries and or communities may not be as welcoming and accommodative as others. Uganda has provided one of the best supportive environments in which refugees and forced migrants are welcomed and supported to live in the country.
Advocacy forms part of core engagements RISE undertakes so communities can support forced migrants as much.
RISE undertakes advocacy work either solely or in concert with other collaborators.
To support the advocacy work of RISE, please contact us!
Lacrosse Club
RISE has a nascent Lacrosse Club following a donation of basic playing equipments from a Lacrosse Sports Club in the United Kingdom. Lacrosse is a miracle game, an all in one sport that combines basketball, soccer and hockey; and a very healthy sport capable of cooling off anxiety from refugees and displaced persons. Lacrosse as a sport has a huge potential in Uganda and beyond and this we hope should assist in refugee integration both in Uganda and across borders. There are sponsorship opportunities for studies especially in the United States of America through the Uganda Lacrosse Association and RISE being a Member of the Association, should enable a few refugees attain such academic scholarships too.
Partners
RISE believes in walking with others, so as to walk farther. RISE leverages and collaborates with Government of Uganda especially the Office of the Prime Minister (Directorate of Refugees), Refugees support Agencies, Civil Society Organisations and individuals in pursuit of its objectives. We are grateful for past and present collaborators that in one way or another made our work a bit easier to perform. We look forward to future cooperation.
