Our story
It began in 2018, when young refugees in Nakivale started working together to help their neighbours — sharing food, caring for the sick and looking after the land they had been given.
In 2020 that work became Youth Refugees United for Development. YRUD was founded and registered that year with Isingiro District Local Government, number 0624. The registration was renewed on 04 May 2026 and is valid until 04 May 2028.
Our motto is “Together for a better world.” Our principle is “Nothing for us without us.” — refugees decide what help they receive and how it is given.
Mission and vision
Mission
To coordinate and direct assistance that improves refugees’ socio-economic conditions, supports self-care, and advances sustainable community development.
Vision
A reliable, resource-mobilising organisation promoting refugee self-reliance and community resilience.
Our values
- Stewardship
- We look after land, water and money as things held in trust for the community, not as ours to spend freely.
- Dignity
- People are shown as neighbours, workers and parents — never as objects of pity.
- Integrity
- We describe what we have actually done, and we say plainly when something is only a plan.
- Transparency
- Status, budgets and evidence are published on this site and kept current.
- Accountability
- Community members can raise concerns and expect an answer.
- Inclusivity
- Women, girls, older people and people with disabilities take part in the work, not only receive it.
Nakivale, in plain language
Where we are
Nakivale is one of the oldest refugee settlements in Africa, in Isingiro District in South-Western Uganda. It is not a camp of tents but a spread of villages, gardens, markets and schools across hills and wetlands, where people who fled the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Somalia, Rwanda, South Sudan and elsewhere live alongside Ugandan host communities.
How people live
Households are given a small plot of land. Most families farm it, and many also trade, teach, build or repair. Rations and support are limited, so income earned locally makes the difference between a difficult year and a hungry one.
What is hardest
Water is the constant pressure. In the dry season people walk long distances or use open water sources. Soils on small, continuously cropped plots lose fertility. Firewood is scarce. Health and protection services exist, but distance and cost keep people away from them.
Why refugee-led matters
YRUD is run by people who live in the settlement. That means the work starts from what neighbours say they need, decisions are made by people who stay after a project ends, and accountability is face to face.
Leadership and governance
Executive management
Justin Buma
Founder & Executive Director
Based in Nakivale Refugee Settlement
Justin founded YRUD and leads its day-to-day management, programme delivery and partner relationships from within the settlement.
International Board of Advisors — advice only
The International Board of Advisors provides strategic guidance only. It has no executive or governing authority over YRUD, does not manage staff, and does not control funds. Advisors and partners — including TDMC, Icosa and Rona — are named on this site as advisors or delivery partners. None of them governs YRUD.