RELON Uganda was privileged to host a team from Oxfam international for a review meeting on the on Boosting RLOs Joint Advocacy Capacity through Coalition and Collaboration (BRACC) project implemented in 2023.
Under BRACC project, RELON Sub-granted 6 RLOs in South West & West Nile regions to strengthen their advocacy efforts. These are;
Geoffrey Owino, the LHL & Policy Influencing Coordinator at Oxfam Uganda appreciated RELON and RLOs for effectively using the BRACC grant to make a significant impact. He acknowledged that the successful implementation of the project demonstrates the RLOs’ ability to handle larger resources in the future.
“We are very happy that you have done such good work. It means in the future, your organization can be trusted with bigger resources,” said Owino.
Owino also pledged commitment towards ensuring refugees and RLOs enjoy meaningful participation.
“At Oxfam, we have changed the approach, we sit with you, discuss strategies and provide opportunities for you to engage directly with donors. As we discuss how we can support smaller RLOs in synergies, we are trying to ensure that capacity of RLOs are built in diplomacy,” said Owino.
Abbas Kigozi is a Humanitarian Advocacy Advisor with Oxfam in Africa also intimated to RLOs that relationships are key in the kind of work we do. “When you work together, you leverage on the opportunities and resources. When we are advocating for our rights, we need to avoid using toxic language, we need to keep etiquette, diplomacy and civility. We leave room for engagement only by using a language that is acceptable,” said Abbas.
Lukendo Mbokani, the Executive Director at RELON appreciated Oxfam for their trust and confidence in the RLOs. Our engagement with Oxfam did not start with the BRACC project.
Phiona Niyijena, the Executive Director of Capstone Action for All based in Nakivale refugee settlement appreciated RELON and Oxfam for entrusting them with the power to make impact in their community
She noted that the BRACC project opened doors for them in the community, changing the attitudes of their fellow refugees who initially had no hope in their organization. Niyijena shared that the refugees even suggested durable solutions during the project implementation.
“Our fellow refugees had no hope in us and our organization because we are part of them. But when we were sub-granted and started implementation of our advocacy strategy, their attitudes changed,” said Niyijena.
The BRACC Project, implemented in 2023, aimed to empower Refugee-led Organizations (RLOs) in the South West and West Nile regions of Uganda to lead the implementation of their respective advocacy initiatives and interventions.