The Coalition of Refugee Leaders (RLCU) is a refugee-led, community-driven leadership platform founded in 2025 in Uganda. It brings together representatives from multiple refugee communities to collectively advocate for dignity, inclusion, and systemic change.
The Coalition of Refugee Leaders (RLCU) is a refugee-led, community-driven leadership platform founded in 2025 in Uganda. It brings together representatives from multiple refugee communities to collectively advocate for dignity, inclusion, and systemic change.
RLCU exists to ensure that refugees are not only seen as beneficiaries of humanitarian assistance, but as leaders, decision-makers, and active contributors to society. The Coalition serves as a unified voice that connects communities to policymakers, organizations, and development partners.
Rooted in lived experience, RLCU represents a new model of leadership—one that is inclusive, accountable, and grounded in the realities of displacement.
The Coalition of Refugee Leaders was founded in 2025 by ten committed refugee community leaders from diverse national backgrounds, including Eritrean, Ethiopian, Somali, Congolese, Sudanese, and South Sudanese communities.
These leaders had each spent years working within their own communities—supporting families, translating systems, navigating services, and advocating informally for better conditions. Despite their efforts, they recognized a shared challenge:
* Fragmented representation
* Limited coordination between communities
* Lack of direct influence in decision-making spaces
The founding leaders came together with a unified realization:
“Our communities are strong individually, but together, we can influence systems.”
This marked the birth of RLCU—a coalition designed to unify leadership, strengthen advocacy, and create a structured platform for refugee voices.
The Coalition of Refugee Leaders in Uganda (CRLU) was established to address critical gaps within the refugee ecosystem—gaps that limited effective representation,
coordination, and meaningful participation of refugees in shaping their own futures.
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To empower refugee leaders to actively shape policies, programs, and systems that affect their communities through unified representation, advocacy, and collaboration.
RLCU works to ensure that:
* Refugee voices are heard and respected
* Communities are organized and represented
* Leadership is inclusive and accountable
* Systems respond to real needs
A future where refugees are recognized as leaders, decision-makers, and equal contributors in shaping inclusive and resilient societies.
RLCU envisions:
* Inclusive governance structures
* Strong refugee-led institutions
* Policies shaped by lived experience
* Communities that are empowered and self-reliant
At the Coalition of Refugee Leaders in Uganda (CRLU), our work is guided by a set of core values that define who we are,
how we operate, and how we engage with the communities we serve and our partners.
We believe every refugee community deserves a meaningful and recognized voice. We are committed to ensuring that diverse perspectives are reflected in decision-making processes at all levels.
We recognize that collective strength drives greater impact. By bringing communities together under a shared platform, we foster solidarity, mutual support, and coordinated action.
We uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and responsibility in all our actions. We are accountable to the communities we represent, our partners, and the broader public.
We are committed to ensuring that no one is left behind. We actively promote equitable participation, with a focus on marginalized and underrepresented groups within refugee communities.
We respect and uphold the inherent worth, rights, and humanity of every individual. Our work is grounded in promoting dignity, protection, and respect for all.
We believe sustainable change is achieved through partnership. We work closely with NGOs, government institutions, and development partners to advance shared goals and maximize impact.
CRLU operates through a structured and inclusive leadership framework designed to ensure effective
representation, coordination, and accountability across all represented communities.
Provides overall strategic direction and leadership, championing inclusive governance and representing the coalition at national and international levels.
Supports the Chairperson and ensures continuity in leadership, coordination, and implementation of the coalition’s priorities.
Comprising 10 founding leaders alongside an expanding network, each leader represents a specific refugee community and plays a role
A network of partners, experts, and institutions that provide technical support, guidance, and collaboration to strengthen the coalition’s work.
Each community leader serves as a vital link between their community and the broader ecosystem. Their responsibilities include:
Through this structure, CRLU ensures that leadership is not centralized, but distributed and community-driven—allowing for stronger engagement, responsiveness, and impact across Uganda.
Since its founding in 2025, the Coalition of Refugee Leaders in Uganda (CRLU) has focused on building a strong and credible foundation for long-term impact.
Recognizing the need for a unified and structured platform, the coalition prioritized establishing clear governance systems, strengthening leadership coordination, and defining its strategic direction.
* Strengthening internal leadership structures
* Expanding community representation
* Establishing partnerships with key stakeholders
* Increasing visibility of refugee leadership
* Become a recognized national and regional advocacy body
* Influence policy at higher decision-making levels
* Expand to include more refugee communities
* Develop programs addressing economic empowerment, education, and social inclusion