Resilient Futures Learning Hub

CONCEPT NOTE

Project Tittle: Resilient Futures Learning Hub: Early Childhood Development and Caregiver Support in Nakivale Refugee Settlement

Strengthening Early Childhood Development and Community Resilience in Nakivale Refugee Settlement.

Submitted by: Thrive Community Empowerment Initiative in Partnership with Refugee Youth Peace Foundation

1. Organization Details

Name: Thrive Community Empowerment InitiativeAddress: Plot 126, Old Kiira Road (Bukoto), P.O. Box 489, Kampala, UgandaContact: +256702468592 | thrivecommunityei@gmail.com Primary Contact Person: Stella Kasozi, Executive Director

About Thrive Community Empowerment Initiative (TCEI):

TCEI is a women led national non governmental organization (NNGO) registered in Uganda (Reg. Number: 8139) that focuses on empowering underserved and marginalized groups in Uganda. With over five years of experience, TCEI implements programs in food security, livelihoods, nutrition, Integrated health (WASH, RMNCAH, MHPSS, HIV/TB) and financial literacy. Our vision is to foster resilient communities where individuals have agency over their livelihoods.

Number of Employees:

Full-time: 4 Part-time: 4 Volunteers: 9 Total: 17

Our Partners:

Refugee Youth Peace Foundation (RYPF) is a youth-led NGO based in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, Uganda, dedicated to empowering refugee youth and communities. RYPF implements programs in education, peacebuilding, livelihoods, psychosocial support, and protection, with a strong focus on youth leadership and resilience. Through vocational training, mental health services, and community engagement, RYPF promotes self-reliance, social cohesion, and inclusion. The organization envisions refugee communities where young people are equipped to lead positive change and contribute to sustainable peace and development.

Project SummaryNakivale Refugee Settlement, home to over 200,000 refugees and receiving more than 700 new arrivals weekly, faces critical gaps in early childhood development (ECD) services. Children aged 3–12 experience trauma, language barriers, food insecurity, disrupted education, and poor health outcomes. Overcrowded schools, long distances, and the absence of structured, affordable early learning opportunities leave young children unprepared for formal schooling, contributing to high dropout rates and child labor. Young boys often skip school to work, and some girls aged 11–12 are forced into early marriages or transactional sex to survive, leading to a deep gap in basic literacy, numeracy, and life skills.

Problem StatementSchool-going children must walk long distances to overcrowded classrooms where language barriers limit learning. Each refugee receives only $3 monthly for food, intensifying food insecurity. With limited access to education and protection, young girls and boys are especially vulnerable. There are no structured, accessible learning spaces for children aged 3–6, and caregivers lack training to support their children’s development in a polycrisis environment. Without intervention, cycles of poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition, and trauma will persist.

Project aim

To establish sustainable early childhood development centers that provide play-based learning, psychosocial support, nutrition, and caregiver empowerment for refugee children aged 3–12 and their support networks in Nakivale Refugee Settlement.

Project objectives

1.To establish an accessible, community-based Early Childhood Development (ECD) center to support a total of 100 refugee children aged 3 to 12 years in the first cycle. Children aged 3–6 years will engage in play-based learning to develop early literacy, numeracy, life skills, and emotional resilience. Children aged 6–12 years will attend supplementary support classes aimed at strengthening their reading, numeracy, and literacy skills acquired in school. Additionally, the project will offer English and Swahili language classes for refugee mothers to promote family and community learning and support children's education at home.

2.To train and employ refugee teachers and caregivers to deliver quality education, basic English lessons, psychosocial support, and to facilitate access to health services, nutrition programs, and hygiene sensitization activities, thereby building community capacity and fostering resilience.

3.To address barriers to education, health, and child protection by integrating trauma-informed care, basic immunization access, nutritional support, and life skills education into the ECD model, ensuring holistic well-being and development for children in a displacement setting.

Innovation: The Resilient Futures Learning HubThe Resilient Futures Learning Hub establishes the first affordable Early Childhood Development (ECD) center in Nakivale for children aged 3–12. Our model addresses systemic gaps by providing safe, a community-based learning environment that offer:

Play-Based Learning: Classes build core numeracy, literacy, and life skills through structured play, storytelling, music, and sports. to help children cope with trauma and rebuild a sense of normalcy essential for learning and development.

Language Support: Basic English classes equip children with skills for self-expression and integration into formal schooling.

Psychosocial Support: Integrated counseling, safe spaces for emotional processing, and support for girls and young mothers to promote healing and resilience.

Health and Nutrition: Mobile health units to provide immunizations, while 3 times a week feeding program and hygiene sensitization addressin malnutrition and preventable diseases

Community Empowerment: Refugee teachers and caregivers are trained and employed to deliver services, creating sustainable livelihoods, enhancing local capacity, and ensuring the program’s long-term success.

How Our Approach Improves on Existing Models

First Accessible ECD Centers: Introducing structured early learning opportunities where none existed before

Community-Driven: Staffing centers with trained refugee caregivers and teachers strengthens ownership and sustainability.

Holistic Child Development: Beyond academics, our model nurtures emotional, physical, and social well-being.

Gender-Inclusive Design: Girls and young mothers receive tailored support to overcome barriers to education and protection.

4. Key Activities

5. Implementation Plan ("The How")

Month 1–3: Baseline surveys, community consultations, site selection, staff recruitment.

Month 4–6: Construction and equipping of cente, caregiver training.

Month 7–12: Launch learning programs, implement psychosocial and nutrition support.

Year 2: Scale-up activities, ongoing monitoring and evaluation, caregiver workshops, data collection for impact assessment.

6. Expected Outcomes

100 children aged 3–12 enrolled in safe, play-based early learning environments.

10 trained refugee caregivers/teachers gain employment and certification.

Improved literacy, numeracy, and psychosocial well-being in participating children.

Reduced cases of child malnutrition and improved hygiene practices among households.

Community ownership and scalable model for ECD in polycrisis settings..

7. Anticipated Impact

Enhanced early childhood development for refugee children, supporting long-term educational success.

Increased resilience of refugee caregivers through job creation, training, and mental health support.

Improved community integration through joint play-based activities for refugee and host community children.

A replicable and sustainable model for early childhood support in polycrisis and displacement contexts.

Project Budget