Flagship project
Improved self-reliance and self-determination of refugees
Supported refugees in Mahama Camp and vulnerable host communities in Kirehe District to build sustainable livelihoods through better business services, access to finance, job matching and inclusive employment support.
The challenge
Mahama Camp is Rwanda’s largest refugee camp, hosting 71,503 refugees as of June 2026. Refugees and nearby host communities face limited job opportunities, weak access to finance, long distances to markets and services, and few tailored support offers for entrepreneurs. Women, persons with disabilities and young people are particularly affected, despite refugees having the legal right to work, study and access financial services.
Our goal
Strengthen the resilience, empowerment and self-reliance of refugees and host communities in Kirehe District. Improve access to business development services and gender-responsive labour market measures so that more people can start or grow businesses, find work, increase income and participate more actively in the local economy.
Our approach
We worked with Business Development Advisors, Job Coaches, financial institutions and local partners to make support services more inclusive, practical and sustainable. Assessed existing services, upgraded business advisory offers, linked entrepreneurs to finance, coached high-potential start-ups and MSMEs, and strengthened job counselling and placement services. Special attention was given to women, persons with disabilities and refugees, including through accessible services, peer learning, and support for safer, more inclusive workplaces.
Impact in numbers
The assignment also targeted 100 individuals, including 50 women, improving their employment situation through new work, higher income, formalisation, better insurance access or improved workplace standards, and expected 65% of 250 supported MSMEs to confirm that business development services improved their potential access to financial services.
Key highlights
- Improved business development services for 300 self-employed people and owners of micro and small firms
- 20 Business Development Advisors and 10 Job Coaches trained, and advisory offers upgraded at 5 service providers
- 75 promising start-ups and companies supported with at least six months of tailored individual and group coaching, including on access to finance
- 10 networking events organised, including B2B meetings, Meet-the-Banker events, job fairs and mini-expos
- 10 gender-responsive active labour market measures reaching around 2,000 jobseekers registered via the Kobo Toolbox app, well above the 500 originally foreseen
- 159 refugees and host community members supported through three-month professional orientation internships
- Two multi-stakeholder platforms and two peer-to-peer visits for female business leaders, including entrepreneurs with disabilities
- Practical support for reasonable accommodation of persons with disabilities through workplace adaptations
Voices from the field
Before Dutere Intambwe, I had a certificate from school, but I did not know how to use it. The Job Coach taught me how to speak to employers, prepare my CV, present myself professionally, and understand my rights at work. When I got the job at the LIFT Project, I cried not because I was surprised, but because I finally believed in myself. Today, I go to work every day knowing I can help others just as my coach helped me. That has become my purpose.
After completing my tailoring course, I did not know how to find work or earn an income. The Job Coaches changed everything. Through the internship, I learned fashion design, atelier management, customer care, and how to prepare tender applications. Attending the Nyakarambi Job Fair connected me with opportunities I would never have found on my own. Today, I work as a consultant with RWAMUCYO Fashion Company while also running my own tailoring business.
Today, I am a happy Early Childhood Development teacher. I enjoy supporting and teaching children while gaining valuable professional experience. I had almost lost hope of finding a job, but the coaching gave me the confidence and skills to pursue opportunities and has also brought me closer to my long-term goal of continuing my university studies.
Success story
From refugee to job coach
Ntirampeba Leilla Carmen is a Burundian refugee living in Mahama Refugee Camp. She joined the Job Coaches team under the Dutere Intambwe Action, where she was empowered through different trainings and practical learning opportunities. Before joining the team, she had limited experience in coordinating workshops, managing events and confidently conducting training sessions.
Through the Training of Trainers, she gained practical skills in facilitation, communication, workshop coordination and coaching, and became an ICSS Champion, receiving intensive training on how to support entrepreneurs. The training strengthened her ability to understand entrepreneurs' needs, provide practical guidance and use appropriate tools to help them improve their businesses.
She plans to use these skills to continue coaching entrepreneurs in the refugee and host communities and to transfer her knowledge to other trainers, facilitators and coaches, creating opportunities and contributing to the economic development of her community.
Today, I am more confident in facilitating training, supporting entrepreneurs and sharing what I have learned with others.
Ntirampeba Leilla Carmen · Mahama Refugee Camp, Kirehe District, Rwanda
Impressions
