Nakivale Experiential Learning and Innovation Center-NELIC

Executive Summary

The “Nakivale Experiential Learning and Innovation Center project” is a project which was designed in collaboration with Dr. Mara Huber, founding director of the UB Experiential Learning Network. NELIC will support adolescent girls, destitute women, widows and teenage mothers in Nakivale Refugee Settlement while serving as a model for other rural and low-resource environments where females are eager to make change while developing their own skills and competencies and earning revenue to support themselves and families. NELIC will promote and support engagement around Climate Action with a focus on Environmental Conservation, Agroforestry and Community Technology

Key objectives

Ø  Share community technologies related to Climate Action to inspire Nakivale youth to innovate while developing high-value skills, competencies and experiences. 

Ø  Support Experiential Learning with PEARL projects and badges, modeled after the UB Experiential Learning Network system (by Dr. Huber)

Ø  Cultivate and direct resources through competitions, grants, and creation of seed funding to support youth groups ready to implement projects under the direction of mentors

Ø  Build value around PEARL badges through creating new opportunities and resources for youth who complete projects and implement innovations.

Ø  Study the model towards strengthening and sharing for broader impact

Key activities

Establishment of a tailoring training center: The tailoring training center in Nakivale Refugee settlement will target adolescent girls, destitute women, widows and teenage mothers who are the most vulnerable groups in the camp affecting the betterment of refugees in Nakivale. They will be imparted training on the make different type of items or clothing for children, ladies, men, school uniform and reusable pads. The center will be in Base camp

Establishment of a community orchard: An orchard will be established in Misyera and this will be having different varieties of fruits. It will provide employ opportunities to refugee youth and these will also be trained on how to maintain soil fertility and better agricultural practices. KBTN will be responsible for the orchard for a given period until the community is able to harvest the fruits and gain income

Establishment of a community wood: A bamboo woodlot will be established on one of the hills in Nakivale refugee settlement. This will improve the ecosystem of Nakivale.

Field exchange visits: The project team and some beneficiaries will have field exchange visits to other Experiential Learning and Innovation Centers in other countries for more exposure and access to knowledge

PEARL badges: KBTN will work with Dr. Huber to translate PEARL into a process that can be supported by KBTN and utilized to assist youth in exploring technologies of interest and working through the steps necessary to prepare for implementation. Mentors will be identified to support groups and the possibility of creating PEARL digital badges will be explored

Project outcomes

Economic Empowerment: Through the tailoring and the orchard, beneficiaries are expected to generate additional income, thereby enhancing their economic resilience and livelihoods.

Community Resilience: The establishment of an orchard fosters community cohesion and resilience, empowering farmers to take control of their own food production and contribute to long-term sustainable development

Climate change: Bamboo woodlot will bring about climate change through carbon sequestration. Carbon sequestration is the long-term storage of carbon in plants and soil and this occurs naturally. This will cause changes in land use and improve soil fertility