About Us - Project Refuge

Over a billion people worldwide lack the most basic necessities to live.

Extreme poverty seems like an insurmountable challenge — but together, we can overcome this injustice.

PROJECT REFUGE WILL LEAD THIS CHANGE.

Women in Uganda

Most of Uganda’s 46 million people live in rural areas. More women are primarily engaged in agriculture than men, yet female farmers take care of domestic tasks for another nine hours a day. There is immense gender inequality despite Ugandan women’s workload and contributions to society.

WE PROMOTE TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE BY EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES TO RISE ABOVE POVERTY.

In 2016, Project Refuge was established to ensure every child in the small village of Ntunda, Uganda, would have access to a proper education. This small project ignited a much bigger mission.

Refuge works in solidarity with rural communities to overcome the challenges that contribute to poverty — food insecurity, lack of access to health care and education, disaster preparedness, and other factors. We want to end the ambivalence of wealthy nations and empower communities that too often go unseen.

THINKING LOCALLY IS THE KEY TO MAKING CHANGE SUSTAINABLE.

Nearly half of the world’s population lives in poverty. This is a global problem, but the solutions are local. Real change is made from the ground up — and that’s where Refuge comes in. We believe that, by working alongside local leaders to solve problems at the community level, we can drastically reduce the harmful effects of poverty.

Breaking the vicious cycle of poverty requires strength and dedication. By mobilizing generous donors and passionate volunteers, Refuge can be a change agent in international development and for communities around the world.

Refuge Mission

We believe that advancing health and education is key to fighting poverty and oppression in developing communities. We work in solidarity with the people we serve, supporting children, women, and families on their journeys toward their healthiest, most fulfilling lives.

REFUGE VALUES

We are built on the unshakable conviction that every community has the power to rise above poverty and oppression.

We offer impartial and unbiased care for every community and person we work with.
We believe communities grow strongest from within.
We honor the existing strengths, knowledge, customs, and values of the communities we partner with.
We tackle poverty holistically, and work through sustainability rather than dead-end philanthropic exercises.
We stay humble. We work alongside — not above — the communities we serve, and we hold ourselves accountable to them.

Where We Work

From our headquarters in the Washington, DC metro area we partner with communities in East Africa and South Asia to offer support where systems fall short and government resources are limited. We help communities grow stronger and build their own safety nets — so that they can create transformative, sustainable solutions to problems that impact their quality of life.