ILO Launches Multi-Purpose Community Centre to Boost Livelihoods and Mental Health Support in Nakivale
In an effort to enhance employment access, vocational training, youth engagement, and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) for both refugees and host communities, the International Labour Organization (ILO), through its PROSPECTS Partnership, has launched a modern multi-purpose community centre in the Base Camp of Nakivale Refugee Settlement, Isingiro District, Uganda.
Funded to the tune of over Shs. 1.36 billion, the facility features sports grounds, commercial spaces, a vocational skills training centre, children’s play areas, an ICT lab, an employment services centre, and MHPSS facilities. These are designed to meet the needs of the over 265,000 refugees in Nakivale and the surrounding host communities.
Speaking during the launch on May 29, 2025, the Guest of Honour, Hon. Davinia Esther Anyakun, Minister of State for Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations, commended the ILO’s inclusive approach that ensured both refugees and host communities participated in constructing the centre—an approach that fostered job creation, local ownership, and skills development. “This centre stands as a beacon of opportunity for both refugees and the host community,” she noted.
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ILO Country Director Caroline Mugalla Khamati lauded Uganda’s open-door refugee policy and underscored the centre’s significance as a symbol of resilience and sustainable development. “It tells a story of hope and new beginnings,” she said.
The facility was constructed under the ILO’s Employment Intensive Investment Programme (EIIP), which integrates job creation and infrastructure development. Over 90% of the construction workforce was made up of refugees, with the remaining 10% from the Ugandan host community. All building materials and the construction company, ARC Construction & Supplies, were Ugandan-sourced, ensuring broad economic benefits.
Two refugees, Agnes Niyonsaba from Burundi and Stephen Manirama from Rwanda, testified to how working on the centre’s construction under EIIP transformed their lives. Agnes used her income to pay rent and school fees, while Stephen described receiving his first salary as a life-changing experience.
Evans Lwanga, ILO PROSPECTS Chief Technical Advisor in Uganda, emphasised the importance of partnerships with local stakeholders in ensuring the centre’s sustainable use and community ownership post-launch.
The centre also responds to the often-overlooked mental health needs of refugees, particularly survivors of gender-based violence and trauma. Joakim Rubarira, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Executive Director of New Life Horizon Initiative (NELHIN), noted the centre now provides a safe space for counselling and psychosocial support, with child-friendly areas allowing mothers to attend sessions without worry.
Aloysius Gumisiriza, Assistant Chief Administrative Officer of Isingiro District, praised the ILO’s labour-based construction approach, which also built the capacity of local officials and contractors.
The Nakivale centre is a flagship initiative under the PROSPECTS Partnership—funded by the Government of the Netherlands and involving ILO, UNHCR, UNICEF, IFC, and the World Bank. The initiative is in its second phase and is transforming responses to forced displacement by focusing on skills development, employment, social protection, and sustainable infrastructure for both refugees and host communities.
As global humanitarian funding shrinks, the Nakivale model highlights how development-led approaches can sustainably support Uganda’s growing refugee population, now surpassing 1.89 million.