Background

Persistent wars, political instability, and insecurity prevailing in the Great Lakes region since the 1990s have forced millions of people to flee their homes in search of safety in neighboring countries. Protracted conflicts in countries such as Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan continue to generate new refugee flows while preventing safe, voluntary, and sustainable return. As a result, displacement in the region has increasingly shifted from an emergency phenomenon to a protracted situation, with many refugees spending years—often decades—in host countries with limited prospects for durable solutions.

Despite ongoing repatriation initiatives, return has proven fragile and unsustainable for many refugees. Poor economic conditions, weak public services, land scarcity, and limited livelihood opportunities in countries of origin have compelled some returnees to re-enter host countries in search of survival and dignity. A notable example is the return of Burundian refugees to Tanzania after repatriation, driven largely by economic hardship and insecurity of livelihoods in Burundi. This cyclical displacement underscores the structural nature of forced migration in the region and the urgent need for long-term, development-oriented responses that go beyond short-term humanitarian assistance.

At the same time, humanitarian support provided by UNHCR and partner organizations is progressively diminishing due to global funding constraints and competing humanitarian crises worldwide. As humanitarian budgets shrink, assistance is increasingly limited to lifesaving interventions, leaving significant gaps in areas such as livelihoods, education, skills development, psychosocial support, and community empowerment. Meanwhile, many host countries, facing their own economic pressures, often perceive refugees as a threat to national economic security. This perception has resulted in restrictive policies on movement, employment, financial inclusion, and access to land and markets, effectively confining many refugees to camps with limited opportunities for self-reliance.

This combination of protracted displacement, declining humanitarian assistance, and restrictive policy environments leaves many refugees trapped in dependency, denied meaningful opportunities for growth, development, and contribution to society. Without access to skills, livelihoods, and empowerment pathways, refugees are unable to rebuild their lives or contribute to the socio-economic development of host communities, perpetuating cycles of poverty, exclusion, and vulnerability.

INUA Foundation intends to curb these gaps by adopting a refugee empowerment and self-reliance approach that complements humanitarian action and aligns with national development priorities. Specifically, INUA Foundation seeks to address:

· Limited livelihood and income-generating opportunities for refugees, particularly youth and women, by promoting market-relevant skills, entrepreneurship, and access to productive assets.

· Over-reliance on humanitarian aid, through transition programming that builds refugees’ capacities for economic independence and resilience.

· Exclusion from socio-economic systems, including financial services, cooperatives, and local markets, by fostering inclusive economic participation and social cohesion with host communities.

· Underutilized human capital among refugees, by investing in education, vocational training, leadership development, and community-based empowerment initiatives.

· Weak linkages between refugee assistance and host-country development, by designing programs that benefit both refugees and host populations and contribute to local economic growth.

Through its refugee empowerment programming, INUA Foundation aims to enable refugees to move from dependency to self-reliance, restore dignity and hope, and actively contribute to the socio-economic development of host countries while durable solutions remain out of reach.