Our Work
Five interconnected programmes — each with a distinct name, mandate, and methodology — that together address the full cycle of migration rights protection across Eastern Africa.
Rights & Resilience Policy Network
Advocacy and Policy Mobilisation
We leverage research and on-the-ground experience to influence national, regional, and international policy — promoting fair and humane asylum and migration frameworks across Eastern Africa.
Our advocacy team participates in African Union, IGAD, and EAC processes. We submit policy briefs, provide expert testimony, and engage in formal consultations at the highest levels of regional governance. In Kenya, we engage directly with Parliament, the Ministry of Interior, and the Refugee Affairs Secretariat.
We also mobilise grassroots support and champion inclusion of migrant and refugee rights within global agreements, including the Global Compacts on Refugees and Migration — and combat xenophobia through targeted public awareness campaigns.
🏛 Government Engagement
Direct submissions to national parliaments and immigration authorities on migration law reform.
🌐 Regional Bodies
Active participation in AU, IGAD, EAC, and Intergovernmental processes on migration governance.
📋 Policy Briefs
Concise, evidence-based policy documents designed for decision-makers and practitioners.
🤝 Coalition Building
Coordinating civil society coalitions that amplify migrant voices in policy spaces.
- ✓ Ratification and domestication of the Kampala Convention
- ✓ National IDP Policy development in Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia
- ✓ Right to work for refugees and asylum seekers
- ✓ Statelessness prevention and reduction frameworks
- ✓ Climate displacement policy and adaptation funding
- ✓ Detention reform and alternatives to immigration detention
- ✓ Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) national implementation
- ✓ Migrant domestic worker protections and bilateral agreements
Field Research
Primary data collection through household surveys, focus groups, and key informant interviews across East Africa.
Literature Reviews
Systematic reviews of existing research, legal instruments, and policy documentation on migration governance.
Case Documentation
Systematic recording of legal cases, protection incidents, and rights violations to build an evidence base for litigation and advocacy.
Academic Collaboration
Partnerships with universities in Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia to co-produce peer-reviewed research with academic rigour.
Evidence-to-Action Research Hub
Research and Data Analysis
We generate rigorous, disaggregated, and policy-relevant data and analysis to fill critical knowledge gaps, inform evidence-based programming, and anchor advocacy efforts.
Our research focuses on the drivers and impacts of migration at the nexus of forced displacement with cross-cutting themes — climate change, public health (including mental health), and the digital economy. We deploy sophisticated methods to collect and analyse disaggregated migration data, ensuring aid and policies effectively target the most vulnerable: women, children, and IDPs.
All our research is freely available through the Knowledge Hub — because access to evidence should never be a barrier to better policy.
Impact & Transparency Legal Defence Initiative
Legal Litigation and Representation
We provide strategic legal services to secure justice, enforce existing rights, and challenge systemic injustices faced by migrants and refugees — through both direct representation and high-impact litigation. When advocacy is too slow, we go to court.
We provide low- or no-cost legal representation for asylum seekers, unaccompanied minors, trafficking victims, and those seeking family reunification or protection against deportation. All services involving unaccompanied minors and vulnerable persons are delivered in accordance with our Safeguarding Policy. We also engage in Impact Litigation — class actions, habeas corpus, petitions for review — to eliminate systemic obstacles and challenge illegal detention. Transparency mechanisms like the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) are used to shed light on opaque government policies that undermine migrant due process.
Emergency Legal Aid
Immediate legal assistance for migrants facing deportation, arbitrary detention, or urgent protection risks. We work with a network of volunteer lawyers across East Africa to ensure rapid response.
Documentation Support
Assistance with civil documentation — birth certificates, identity documents, asylum claims — that migrants and stateless persons need to access rights, services, and protection.
Strategic Litigation
Carefully selected test cases that challenge discriminatory laws and practices before national courts and regional bodies — creating precedents that benefit thousands of people beyond the individual case.
Referral Network
A structured referral pathway connecting migrants to legal aid providers, UNHCR, IOM, and protection actors across all eight countries of operation — ensuring no one falls through the gaps.
Amicus Submissions
Expert submissions to courts and tribunals in cases involving migrant rights — contributing legal arguments and evidence where our expertise can make a difference to the outcome.
Rights Literacy
Know-Your-Rights sessions for migrant communities — equipping people with the legal knowledge they need to advocate for themselves and access protection mechanisms.
Rights-Based Migration Governance Accelerator
Capacity Building and Training
We strengthen the competencies of community leaders, government officials, and civil society stakeholders to implement and manage migration and refugee issues in a rights-based, humane, and efficient manner.
Our programme focuses on enhancing understanding of International Migration Law and the 1951 Refugee Convention — including non-refoulement, anti-trafficking protocols, gender-based violence (GBV) response, and effective referral mechanisms. We also support government bodies in policy formulation and legal reform to embed migrant and refugee rights in national development strategies.
Activities include interactive workshops, specialised e-learning courses on economic and social inclusion for migrants, high-level policy dialogues, and technical support for developing context-specific Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Who We Train
Community Resilience & Livelihoods Programme
Community Empowerment and Sustainable Livelihoods
We support displaced communities with economic integration pathways, livelihood skills, and grassroots networks — rebuilding dignity and self-reliance beyond displacement.
Our community programme bridges the gap between protection and long-term stability. We work directly with refugee and migrant communities to identify barriers to economic participation and co-design practical, context-sensitive solutions. From vocational training to enterprise incubation, we invest in people's capacity to thrive — not just survive.
We collaborate with local businesses, government employment agencies, and diaspora networks to open sustainable livelihood pathways that respect migrants' skills, dignity, and aspirations.
💼 Livelihood Skills Training
Vocational and entrepreneurial training tailored to local market demand and migrants' transferable skills.
🌱 Enterprise Support
Seed grants, mentorship, and incubation support for refugee- and migrant-led micro-enterprises.
🤝 Community Networks
Grassroots peer networks that connect newcomers with established community members, diaspora, and service providers.
📊 Economic Integration
Partnerships with employers and government agencies to facilitate formal employment and access to financial services.
Support Our Work. Change Lives.
Every pillar of our work depends on the support of partners, donors, and volunteers who share our commitment to human dignity.