AFSC

These photos capture another proud moment from our hairdressing training at Innovation School, where parents are putting their newly acquired skills into practice.

After weeks of learning, practicing on mannequins, and supporting each other, our participants are now confidently able to braid and style hair from start to finish.

Seeing the transformation from having little or no prior experience to producing these results in just a few months is a powerful reminder of the impact of practical skills training.

Through 𝗨𝗷𝘂𝘇𝗶 𝗸𝘄𝗮 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗮, we continue to empower parents with skills that can create opportunities for 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴.

We are excited to see these parents complete their journey and use their skills to support their children and strengthen their families. 💪

Today, we joined fellow 45 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐠𝐞𝐞-𝐋𝐞𝐝 𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 (𝐑𝐋𝐎𝐬) from Kampala for a three-day 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐠𝐞𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 organized by RELON UGANDA with support from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

AFSC was represented by its 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫, Jonathan Djumbe who participated in the first day of the training aimed at strengthening knowledge on 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐠𝐞𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬, 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 and legal frameworks.

The sessions covered key concepts including who is a 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐠𝐞𝐞, 𝐚𝐬𝐲𝐥𝐮𝐦 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐫, 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 (𝐈𝐃𝐏) and a 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧. Participants also explored the 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐠𝐞𝐞𝐬 in Uganda as a host country.

In addition, participants were introduced to the important 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬, including the 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝟏𝟗𝟓𝟏, the 𝐎𝐀𝐔 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝟏𝟗𝟔𝟗 and Uganda's 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐠𝐞𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟔.

As an organization committed to 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬, AFSC values opportunities that strengthen our capacity to serve refugee and host communities.

We thank RELON UGANDA and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation for creating this important platform for 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 and 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 among RLOs.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟭𝟬 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.

Just a few months ago, many of these 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 joined our hairdressing training with no prior knowledge of hair braiding. Today, they are confidently styling and braiding hair on their own children, demonstrating the skills they have acquired through the 𝗨𝗷𝘂𝘇𝗶 𝗸𝘄𝗮 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗮 (𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀) project.

These photos are more than hairstyles; they represent 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲, 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 for refugee families in Nakivale.
At a time when many families are facing hardship due to reductions in humanitarian assistance and are no longer receiving regular support, practical skills like hairdressing can provide a pathway toward 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

We are proud of the progress these parents have made and hopeful that the skills gained will help them support their children and build stronger futures for their families.

💇‍♀️ 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿, 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀. 𝗪𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺

📚 𝗔𝗹𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗴𝗼, our team had the privilege of attending a training organized by Enjuba after being selected as one of the recipients of donated books. During the training, we received 𝟭𝟴 𝗯𝗼𝘅𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 generously donated by the Kiwanis Club in the United States.

𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻, we have been brainstorming and developing plans to establish our 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗟𝗶𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗛𝘂𝗯. We are excited about the opportunities these books will create for children to access reading materials, strengthen their literacy skills, and develop a lifelong love for learning.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝘅𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 for a vibrant learning space where children can read, learn and grow.

🚀𝗪𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆.

We are honored to share that Action for Sustainable Communities (AFSC) was referenced as a real-world example during a lecture at in the , in a course exploring innovative approaches to refugee reception.

The discussion compared different global responses to forced displacement, including the Uganda refugee model, which provides refugees with prima facie recognition and access to social rights such as land for subsistence farming.

Alongside state-led approaches, the lecture also highlighted the importance of strong bottom-up initiatives, particularly those founded and led by refugees themselves. AFSC was presented as an example of such a community-driven initiative, illustrating how refugees and communities can actively shape sustainable solutions in education and livelihoods.

We are deeply encouraged that community-led approaches like ours are contributing to global academic discussions on refugee response systems, both within and beyond .

We extend our appreciation to Dr Ester and students for engaging with these perspectives and for recognizing the role of grassroots innovation in shaping more inclusive and sustainable responses.

This week, we conducted the 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 for the parents participating in our hairdressing training under 𝗨𝗷𝘂𝘇𝗶 𝗸𝘄𝗮 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗮 (𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀) at INNOVATION SCHOOL.

Throughout the training, participants have been practicing on mannequins and sometimes on one another. For this assessment, we wanted to give them an opportunity to demonstrate their skills in a more realistic setting. AFSC provided three packages of braiding hair to each parent and participants were asked to bring their children and braid their hair as part of the assessment.

We are incredibly happy with the results. Seeing these single mothers confidently applying the skills they have learned and successfully braiding their children's hair is a powerful reminder of how much progress can be achieved in a short period of time.

As we conclude 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟭𝟬, we are now only 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 from completing and graduating the first cohort. It is encouraging to already see the outcomes of this training and the confidence participants have gained over the past three months.

We hope the skills acquired through this program will help participants 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀, especially at a time when many are no longer receiving UNHCR support.

Through our 𝘁𝘄𝗼-𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹, we continue to believe that when parents are empowered, children benefit and families become stronger. 💪

Last week marked an important milestone for our team in Kampala. We attended a training organized by following our selection as one of the book recipients for this year.

We were honored to receive 18 boxes of books donated by Kiwanis Club in the United States. These books will play a great role in supporting children’s learning and literacy development in the communities where we work.

We are excited that soon we shall establish a library where children will be able to access books, improve their literacy skills and develop a lasting love for learning.

In 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟭𝟭 of the 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁, we conducted our 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 in a different and more interactive way.

Instead of giving written questions on paper, we focused on assessing the parents’ 𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀. The instructor called learners one by one and asked them questions based on what they covered during the month.

We are happy to see the confidence and progress parents continue to demonstrate in speaking English. These assessments help us understand how far learners are progressing toward the objective of the project; empowering parents with English language skills to better 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 and use English for their 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 within the settlement and beyond.

As we approach the final week of the first cohort, we are encouraged by the transformation and learning journey of the parents.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟵 under the 𝗨𝗷𝘂𝘇𝗶 𝗸𝘄𝗮 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗮 (𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀) project at INNOVATION SCHOOL.

Every week, we continue to see growth, confidence, and determination among the parents participating in the hairdressing training, especially 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 who are committed to learning practical skills that can help them support their families.

Through regular hands-on practice, participants are improving their techniques and becoming more comfortable applying the skills they have learned so far. It is encouraging to witness the progress being made as the cohort moves closer to completion.

We believe these practical skills will create opportunities for parents to 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀, 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝘀.

At AFSC, we remain committed to our 𝘁𝘄𝗼-𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵, because empowering parents also means creating better opportunities for children and families.💪