UNHCR’s approach to community-based protection, as well as its age, gender, and diversity policy, place forcibly displaced and stateless individuals at the core of decision-making processes that directly impact their lives. This approach ensures accountability to the affected populations. In line with the UNHCR Rwanda’s Concept Note of Implementation of the Localization Strategy in Rwanda, there is a strong emphasis on supporting Refugee-led organizations particularly in strengthening their institutional capacities through NGO registration and establishing entrepreneurship wings to ensure sustainability. UNHCR is therefore announce a call for proposal for RLOs to access Localization Grant 2025.

Grant Criteria

1. Refugee-led organization (focusing on Refugee, and asylum seekers) who have demonstrated their social impacts to address their communities’ problem. The group comprising of refugees and asylum seekers experiences have to sit in decision making power, either sit at executive directors or with proportion 50%+1
2. To fund fully/partially a project or an organizational institution
3. Project Objectives priority:
4. RLOs institutional capacity while applying for NGO status
5. Seed Funds to create a sustainable entrepreneurship wing that would finance their social impacts
6. Improving RLO’s visibility on the impacts they have made
7.  Maximum proposal is USD 4000 per project or USD 12,000 per year/organization (multi-projects)
8. RLOs with NGO status is preferred but not compulsory
9. The project will be sustainable beyond UNHCR’s funding

What needs to be in the proposal:

1. The problem you want to address
2. How this project will address this problem
3. The objectives of the projects
4. The activities of the projects and how these activities will lead the organization to achieve the project
5. The duration of the project
6. The targeted beneficiaries
7. Analysis of sustainability: how the organization is ensuring this project will continue beyond UNHCR’s funding

For the entrepreneurship wing proposal, a proper business plan with profit analysis, sales and marketing strategy are required.

What to submit:

• Project proposal – Download the template below:

• Membership Structure indicating organigram, names, and legal status of each and legal status certificate if any
• Information/report on social impacts that the RLOs have done
• RLOs organizational background

Due: 10 May 2025

Please email your proposal to [email protected] with subject “Localization Grant Proposal”

The World Bank, in partnership with UNHCR and MINEMA, is conducting the second round of the survey on sustainable livelihoods of refugees in Rwanda. The data collection is planned from 13 to 24 April 2025 in all camps and the Kigali urban area. This Survey involves 2000 respondents who were selected randomly based on their age, gender, and diversity criteria.

We wish to extend our gratitude to those who participated in the first round of this survey last year and invite them to actively engage in the second round. Surveyors will be reaching out to individual respondents by phone to provide further details on the survey schedule and to arrange appointments for home visits as data will be collected at the household level.

Understanding the living conditions, economic status, and overall well-being of refugees is crucial to assist the government of Rwanda and other organizations to improve programming to support the refugees and host communities.

Makerere University is pleased to announce 190 Undergraduate and 11 Master’s Scholarships for Ugandan Nationals, Refugees, Students with Disabilities, Internally displaced young people, and International students joining Makerere University (main campus) in the Academic Year 2025/2026 under the Private Sponsorship Scheme.

Eligibility: To be eligible to apply for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University‘s main campus, an applicant must belong to one of the following categories: Ugandan nationals, refugees, students with disabilities, internally displaced young people, or international students and fulfil the following conditions.

Applicants for Undergraduate Degree Programmes:

The applicant must have applied for admission to Makerere University‘s main campus under the private sponsorship scheme for the academic year 2025/2026.

The Applicant must have either;

• Completed their advanced secondary level education (or its equivalent) in an African country or hold second class/credit diploma from any recognized institution or
• Must have passed the mature age entry examinations of Makerere University for the Years 2023 and 2024.
• The Applicant should be experiencing financial hardships.
• The Applicant should not be a holder of any other scholarship, including the Government of Uganda Scholarship.
• The Applicant should not have completed any undergraduate degree Programme.
• The Applicant should have demonstrated leadership potential and/or community service.
• The Applicant should be 28 years old or younger at the application deadline.
• Applicants under the categories of Refugees, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and Students with Disabilities should be 32 years old or younger at the time of the application deadline
• A refugee applicant must hold a Refugee Identity Card or Family Attestation.
• Applicants in the Refugee Host Communities category must have completed their secondary school education within those communities.
• The applicant should have applied for any degree programmes prioritized under the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University‘s main campus (please refer to the application form for a list of prioritized programmes).
•  

Applicants for Master’s Degree Programmes

The applicant must have applied for admission to Makerere University‘s main campus for 2025/2026.

• The Applicant must have completed their undergraduate education in an African country.
• The Applicant should be experiencing financial hardships.
• The Applicant should not be a holder of any other scholarship.
• The Applicant should not be pursuing or have completed any Master’s degree studies.
• The applicant should have demonstrated leadership potential and/ or community service.
• The Applicant should not be over 35 years old at the application deadline.
• Applicants in the Refugee and Students with Disabilities categories should be under 40 years old at the application deadline.
• A refugee applicant MUST hold a Refugee Identity card or Family Attestation.
• The applicant should have applied for any degree programs prioritized under the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program (please refer to the application form for a list of prioritized programs).

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Prospective applicants for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University‘s main campus can access and complete the application form at no cost through the Online Application Portal https://apply.mastercardfoundation.mak.ac.ug

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION

The application submission deadline is Friday, 6th June 2025, at 11:59 PM EAT.

For inquiries or clarifications, please call +256 700-716-128 or email [email protected]

UNHCR will be conducting the Result Management Survey (RMS) during the fourth week of March 2025. This survey aims to gather feedback from refugee communities to guide strategic prioritization in our programming, as part of our commitment to accountability to forcibly displaced populations.  The survey is designed for programmatic purposes only. It will not impact individual cases, including protection cases, assistance, or resettlement prospects. 

A total of 2,190 households have been randomly selected from both urban and camp populations across the country.  Trained consultants hired by UNHCR will conduct the interviews to ensure a professional and objective process.  Your feedback is crucial in helping UNHCR identify and prioritize the most urgent needs of refugees. It allows us to allocate our limited resources more efficiently to provide essential protection and lifesaving assistance. 

We encourage all selected participants to take part and share their experiences honestly. Your voice plays a vital role in shaping the support and services available to the refugee community. 

If you have been contacted and you have any inquiries, please contact 0788383608 or 0788302718 or send an email to  [email protected]  

Thank you for your cooperation. 

UNHCR Rwanda 

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees would like to inform the public and particularly forcibly displaced population and stateless persons in Huye urban that Huye Community Center will be closed with effective from 01 March 2025.

The UNHCR   and partners will continue to provide services to the community in Huye urban with different approaches.

In collaboration with Prison Fellowship Rwanda, UNHCR will organize mobile outreach and refugee community will be informed in advance so they can attend the meeting and raise their concerns.

Helplines for UNHCR and partners will remain operational and the forcibly people and stateless persons can reach out to them if there a need.

When you are contacting UNHCR and Partners, please ensure you share with us your registration number which is available on your proof of registration and your telephone number.

Thank you for your attention