CEC1 - PEACE BUILDING INITIATIVES Community Empowerment for creative innovation (CECI) is a Youth centered Non-profit making Refugee-led Organization (RLO) registered with Koboko District Local Government (KDLG) as Community Based Organization (CBO) in August 2017, with registration number 563/124. CECI is incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee (Under section 18(3) of the Companies Act 2012), of the Republic of Ugandaand holds a valid Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) Kampala, Uganda whichgives it full clearance in the Refugee Response Operations in the country.
CECI emerged to address the deteriorating relationships among refugees themselves and between refugees and the host communities characterized by (1) conflict tensions based on ethnicity, access to productionresources such as land, water and wood fuel, interreligious marriages and employment opportunities (2) dire and deteriorating mental health concerns among  young people leading to anti-social behavior, high rates of insanity and deaths related to mental health, (3) deplorable living condition of refugees and host communities, and (4) inadequate awareness on COVID - 19 symptoms, prevention andmanagement.
CECI  envisages that peace, livelihood, environment and education is a human right that must be enjoyed by all humanityboth persons of concern or Refugees and the host community or Nationals. This enjoyment comes with a recognition that it has to be worked for owing to the dynamics that inform survival including limited resources, natural resources access and utilization, differences in social cultures, corruption among and between PoCs and host communities-this therefore means fundamental human rights. As CECI, it is practical to share that turning outputs into positive outcomes require multiple factors including effort of local structures and adopting creativity and innovations.
Vision
An Empowered, Peaceful, and Self-reliant community of youth who, in creative and innovative ways, contribute meaningfully to socio-economic development and achievement of sustainable peace in the indigenous communities in which they live.
Mission
To innovatively use recreational activities, education, and innovations to address social problemsand transform community-based conflicts intoa culture of peace and non-violence; and facilitate youth engagement and empowerment atthe grassroots level.
Achievements
Community Empowerment for Creative Innovation (CECI) secured and successfully managed, in the year 2020 and 2021 alone, seven (7)projects with funding from Oxfam, Open Society Foundation, Wellsprings Philanthropy Fund, and the International Refugee Rights Initiative (IRRI) to implement Peacebuilding and COVID-19 Response interventions in Bidibidi Refugee Settlement to promote andstrengthen social cohesion and community resilience, mobilize and sensitize local communities on COVID-19, Strengthen the capacity of Refugee Leadership, and improve access to information. Through which CECI undertook distribution of PersonalProtective Equipment (PPEs), handwashing facilities, and radio receivers to households of persons with disabilities (PWDs) and Elderly and public places, distribution of contextualized Information Education and Communication (IECs) materials at strategic public places, mass community sensitization through music, Blue Messenger Bicycle, Boda-boda-talk-talk (BBTT), and door-to-door awareness, and trainings for community leaders, youth, women, and teachers on COVID-19, peacebuilding and conflict resolution, trauma healing and hate speech mitigation, and rumor tracking. A total of 50,789 women, men, PWDs, elderly, youth, and community leaders were impacted. CECI is the winner of the COVID-19 Innovation Prize of the Response Innovation Lab (RIL) hosted at Save the Children.With such vast experience, CECI will manage this project to its purpose.
Partner Contribution
CECI will build peace and improve social cohesion among refugees and with host communities and skills to support development and peace through training ofwomen and girls on gender transformative leadership, human rights and peace building, Co-creating, coaching and mentorship programs for girls and women, Identifying and train male champions to advance women participation agenda, Mapping/ capacity assessmentofRLOs, CBOs, CSOs, Local leaders (RWCs and LCs), Facilitating, structures with tools to enhance their work, Establishing and training the alliance of cultural and religious leaders of refugees and host communities,  Facilitating quarterly meetings of the alliance, Creating awareness on peace building, mental health and psychosocial support, Gender Based Violence and climate change through IEC materials, MDD, Debates, Sports, radio talk shows, spot messages and community dialogues, Mapping and undertakerestoration of degraded environment, Identification, recognition and award of climate change champions among others.