Since its establishment in 2017, CRSD has made significant strides in empowering both refugee and host communities within the Pagirinya Refugee Settlement. In its early years, CRSD rapidly gained trust and recognition, launching impactful campaigns on human rights, gender equality, and health that reached over 500 individuals. Between 2018 and 2020, the organization successfully implemented vocational training programs, benefitting over 200 youth and women, and provided start-up support to more than 150 entrepreneurs. From 2019 to 2021, CRSD focused on health education, reaching 2,000 community members, and improved access to clean water for over 1,000 people. Through its youth empowerment and gender equality programs, CRSD tackled critical issues such as gender-based violence and teenage pregnancy, directly impacting hundreds of individuals. In response to COVID-19, CRSD distributed PPE and sanitation supplies to over 1,500 community members and strengthened disaster preparedness by training 200 local volunteers. In 2022, CRSD launched a sustainable agriculture cooperative and deepened its partnerships with organizations like UNHCR, increasing funding and support for its initiatives. Currently, CRSD is also implementing an Accelerated Education Program in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation and War Child Canada, funded for a bridge project running from 2022 to 2027 in several secondary schools across Adjumani, including Maaji, Dzaipi SS Mungula, Alere, Ayilo, Lewa, Nyumanzi, and Pagirinya.
Challenges
- CRSD as an organization has committed itself to supporting refugees and host communities to address the need of un deserved and vulnerable communities and improve their health status and livelihoods. CRSD will work together with stakeholder s to identify needs, shortfalls, and development strategies to mitigate their challenges.
- Increased demand for basic survival service, health, information, livelihood, education and gender related issues etc by the people living with HIV/AIDS, Women and children in the settlement.
- Limited funds to meet operation costs of the organizational cost are support through few local donors and initiator contributions.
- Increase school drop outs, human rights abuse, domestic violence and sexual harassments that require attention.
- Youth unemployment drug abuse, lack of sex health education a cause of unwanted pregnancies and early marriages that requires immediate intervention in settlement.
Sources of funds received
Initiators contribution: funds mobilized by the members, the fund mostly catered for registration and renting office space for the organization and other administrative expenses.
Lutheran world federation: under SAWA project funded by church of Sweden the project was empowering the most vulnerable individual at risk such as the elderly persons in Pagirinya and Boroli settlement.
Staffing
- The CBO currently employs eleven (11) staff. (3 females and 8 male).
- Future plans Resource mobilization: Strengthen resource mobilization strategies to raise funds for supporting the development of rural communities and staff including hiring consultants to provide technical guidance and assistance to ensure sustainability and ownership.
- Advocacy and community mobilization:
- Widen coverage of the CRSD to reach the poor and marginalized hard to access settlement and host communities in Adjumani district.
- Strengthen and increase access to human rights service by the abused individuals.
- Create wide sensitization of vocational skills training, child protection, health and sanitation, child education, early marriages and pregnancies.
Vocational skills and rehabilitation center:
- Provide vocational skills training to the youths especially the young mothers and fathers.
- Rehabilitating persons especially youths and children who need guidance and counseling as a result of lack of school fees, drug abuse ,domestic violence, child labor and others in the settlement and host communities.
- Establish a well-equipped vocational and rehabilitation centre to cater for children’s lacking parental care as a result of rate, negligence, mistreatment, abandonment among others.
- Offer support to young mothers to improve their livelihood.
Means of transport to reach communities:
CRSD focus is to reach all refugee settlement in Adjumani district where information regarding health, sanitation, human rights, child protection, and teenage sex education is hardly accessed. A reliable means of transport (like at least two motorcycles and vehicle) Would ease the work for the staff and organization at large.
Permanent office premises:
Have a well organization permanent office to help reduce on the organization overhead expenses in terms of rent, equipment, security and records.