Nakivale Refugee Settlement · Isingiro District, Uganda

Restoring dignity for refugee women & girls — one skill at a time.

DigniRise Foundation equips new refugee women and girls in Nakivale with dignity kits, livelihood skills and educational support — helping them heal, rebuild and thrive.

2024
Founded
Isingiro
Area of Action
Women & Girls
Primary Focus
4+
Core Programs
DigniRise staff supporting a young girl with school materials
Community Based
Organization, Nakivale Basecamp
Who We Are

About DigniRise Foundation

As learned youths who believe in impacting our communities, we witnessed a growing influx of new refugee arrivals from the Democratic Republic of Congo, alongside rising school drop-outs and domestic violence — driven by food ration cuts, limited access to sanitary materials, and a lack of livelihood skills.

DigniRise Foundation was formed to help forcibly displaced persons (FDPs) cope with this distress through skilling and access to dignity kits — adding our voice to bridge a gap that existing services have not been able to close.

Non-profit & secular
Apolitical organization
Refugee-led leadership
Community-driven action
Our Purpose

Mission & Vision

Our Vision

To see empowered refugee families transforming their lives through dignity, education and sustainable livelihoods.

Our Mission

To empower women and girls in Nakivale Refugee Settlement through access to dignity kits, livelihood skills, and learning opportunities that enable them to live healthy, productive and dignified lives.

What Guides Us

Our Core Values

Compassion

Prioritizing empathy and understanding the unique struggles faced by persons impacted by war.

Creativity & Innovation

Encouraging creative approaches and innovative solutions to the community's evolving needs.

Empowerment

Empowering individuals through education, skill development and mental health support.

Respect

Treating all individuals with dignity, honoring their experiences and perspectives.

Discipline

We believe discipline is the beginning of wisdom in everything that we do.

Sectors In Focus

Our Programs

The pursuit of our goals is achieved through four focus areas designed to address the root causes of vulnerability among new refugee arrivals.

Supporting women and girls with dignity kits

Supporting Women & Girls

Timely scholastic materials and dignity kits for the most vulnerable girls at risk of dropping out of school.

Psychosocial support for children and adults

Psychosocial Support

Group and individual counselling, Sunday school sessions and tele-therapy in partnership with other organizations.

Livelihood skills training - tailoring

Livelihood Skills Training

Financial literacy, reusable sanitary pads, soap, hair oils, charcoal briquettes, stoves and handcrafts.

School materials for girls and boys

School Materials

Educational materials for vulnerable children who have dropped out, helping them kick-start school again.

Livelihood skills - agriculture and produce

Household Income Skilling

Poultry, agriculture and produce-based income activities that build household resilience and self-reliance.

Beneficiary identification and hairdressing skilling

Beneficiary Identification

Vulnerability assessments to identify and enroll the most at-risk women and girls into our support programs.

Teaching re-usable sanitary pads, soap and handcraft production to grow household income.

Identification of beneficiaries through structured vulnerability assessments.

Supporting drop-out children with educational materials to restart school.

Offering group therapy and specialized one-on-one psychosocial support.

Governance

Executive Committee

Our leadership team drives day-to-day implementation of DigniRise Foundation's programs on the ground in Nakivale.

VK
Venance Karwana
Founder & CEO
Nakivale
IG
Igirukwishaka Gideon
Director
Mbarara
MG
Mutoni Gisele
Finance & Admin
Nakivale
AJ
Akankwatsa Jeremiah
Head of Programmes
Isingiro
RA
Rukundo Annuarite
Procurement Officer
Nakivale
A
Annitah
Monitoring & Evaluation
Nakivale
JI
Jessy Iruta
Technical Coordinator
Nakivale

Board of Directors

# Name Title
01Gumisiriza AloziusChairman, Board
02Matsiko VincentSecretary, Board
03Kembabazi CeciliaFinance
04Mugume JamesMember
05Mutaawe MarkMember
Join The Cause

Get Involved

Volunteer

Share your time and skills — join our field teams supporting skilling, education and psychosocial programs.

Become a Volunteer
Donate

Your donation funds dignity kits, scholastic materials and livelihood training for refugee women and girls.

Make a Donation
Partner With Us

NGOs, government bodies and development partners — collaborate with us to extend reach and impact.

Start a Partnership
Reach Out

Contact Us

Get In Touch

Call Us
+256 787 582 891
+256 780 573 438
Email Us
dignirisefoundation@gmail.com
Visit Us
Nakivale Refugee Settlement, Basecamp, Isingiro District, Uganda
Office Hours
Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM