Refugee Led Organization Capacity Enhancement on Institutional Governance and Sustainability

In it’s efforts to promote integration of refugees with host communities and build cohesion within urban communities, Pamoja Trust has been conducting capacity building sessions to 15 Refugee Led Organizations in Nairobi and its Metropolitan to compliment the organization’s efforts on refugee rights and inclusion. The Re:BUiLD program believes in the narrative that building strong RLO institutions creates an enabling environment to amplify integration efforts in Nairobi County. The RLOs have undergone a series of trainings on institutional management, governance structures, key policy documents, internal control mechanisms, resource mobilization, stakeholder engagement and sustainability mechanisms. The trainings have enabled RLOs to advance in their operations and simultaneously widen their scope of work. In Kitengela, 4 RLOs (Oak solution, Pamoja Twaweza, Port of Manna, Ubuntu Refugee, Jump over Seven Feet) have not only managed to develop finance and procurement policies but have also been able to secure in-kind support from donors and well-wishers. RLOs have been able to draft strategic plans that have seen them have more guided interventions featuring local players and government offices. In streamlining operations, working on governance structures and expanding partners base, Oak solution in Kitengela for instance have been able to attract bigger international donors with the probability of securing bigger funding. Other RLOs like Umoja Refugees and Kivuli curving have since established greater relations with Nairobi County government to the extent of securing exhibition booths in the county’s trade fair conducted quarterly. 

Impacts of the trainings have furtherly seen RLOs engage local administration offices, the case of Kivuli curving and Umoja Tunaweza RLOs in Kawangware that have had engagements with area chief’s office to pursue tree planting initiatives within the settlement. Refugee Brotherhood RLO a sport-oriented organization has established tremendous working relations with Nairobi County government department for sports where joint tournaments have been organized. The RLO also accesses local sport facility without any impediments thanks to the good working relations with the department. This is contrary to previous encounters’ where refugees in the area around Kayole used to either pay or get dispelled in efforts to access the facilities. 

In Kasarani, Bortopra RLO has had intense collaboration with local actors on the rampant sexual gender-based violence cases on refugee women. Thanks to strategic partnerships (a component that featured in the trainings) and advanced communication skills and stakeholder mapping, the RLO has garnered efforts with local actors like Kasarani social justice center and Kasarani integration network to jointly pursue SGBV cases with local polices station in the settlements

More to this, Pamoja Trust continues to conduct regular refresher trainings to select RLOs through customized trainings to advance RLO skills towards responding to the changing donor world and maneuvering the programmatic dynamics in the refugee landscape.  

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