I´m Michael Tesfu, a managing director of International Fellowship Canadian Aid (IFCA) for the office of Kampala Uganda a nonprofit organization focused on transforming the lives of refugee youth, women at risk, and preschool children, particularly from the Horn of Africa. Our target group is challenged by language barriers, poor living standards, and a lack of clear academic credentials to get decent jobs in their host community to support their livelihood and educate their children.

 PROBLEM AREA

The growing conflict in the Horn of Africa has increased the number of refugees fleeing to Uganda. On their way to Uganda, some got separated from family members, which forced them to resort to harmful measures to survive within the host communities. Refugees are often perceived to be better-off than locals, which leads to being charged highly for accommodation and viewed as competitors for jobs by locals. On top of complex conditions of living and language barriers, most single mothers and widows usually fail to access means to satisfy basic needs and support their children, like mothers with more than three children out of school due to fees and poverty.  

1. REFUGEE CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER

IFCA is establishing an early childhood development center offering free early childhood education programs to preschool refugee children. The center will serve as a protective place introducing children to elementary math, literacy, and emotional growth using a play-based learning approach. For example, IFCA uses three-dimensional animations to teach them how to communicate with one another and react to the environment.

2. IT TRAINING CENTER FOR THE YOUTH

IFCA is setting up an IT training center offering free primary and advanced IT training to equip the youth with employable IT skills that they can use to create their developmental ventures. It also provides them with soft employability skills in job networking and communication skills using IT to increase employment opportunities within their host community.

3. EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN AT RISK

IFCA empowers women at risk through entrepreneurship training. They learn how to start up a business, train soft skills, IT skills, and English language to communicate and integrate with other members of their host community.

 OUR REQUEST

We call upon all well-wishers for ONE TIME financial support to establish IFCA´s Refugee Development Center to provide urban refugees a fighting chance against unemployment, illiteracy, and poverty and become well-respected members of their host community.