Draft:CECI Uganda

Community Empowerment for Creative Innovation (CECI) is a Ugandan refugee-led organization with a focus on serving refugee and host communities. As a refugee-led entity, it engages primarily with youth, women, and girls to address violent conflicts and rebuild livelihoods.

CECI Uganda implements programs in peacebuilding, education, livelihood, and environmental sustainability, tailored to local needs. These programs are intended to support healing, reconciliation, resilience, and peaceful coexistence in refugee settlements, while facilitating community and individual participation in local leadership, peacebuilding, and development initiatives.

History
Community Empowerment for Creative Innovation (CECI Uganda) was founded in May 2017 by Patrick Chandiga Justine Abure. CECI Uganda's foundation was influenced by Abure's personal experiences as a South Sudanese refugee and child laborer. The organization initially aimed to address issues of ethnic discrimination, cultural intolerance, and violence in refugee settlements. The organization was officially registered as a community-based organization in August 2017.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, CECI Uganda implemented initiatives in refugee settlements that included public health awareness, support for online education, and distribution of personal protective equipment and livelihood aids. The organization also focused on providing information and hygiene resources to vulnerable groups, such as women, girls, individuals with disabilities, and the elderly. In December 2020, CECI Uganda received the COVID-19 Innovation Prize for "Refugee-led Innovations" by the Response Innovation Lab hosted at Save the Children International.

As of 2023, CECI Uganda has expanded its reach to approximately 147,000 refugees and residents in the Ugandan districts of Koboko, Yumbe, and Obongi.

Activities
CECI Uganda's activities include conflict prevention and transformation, peacebuilding, education, livelihood support, and environmental sustainability. The organization has been involved in initiatives against hate speech, disinformation, and misinformation, while also working to reinforce local peace structures.

The organization reports involvement with over 103,882 individuals, primarily in violence prevention and social cohesion efforts. It has also focused on rebuilding livelihoods and improving educational access.