FORGE
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the problem:
FORGE is a US-based international nonprofit organization that works with displaced communities in Africa. We invest in individuals affected by war to pursue education, economic self-sufficiency, and local development solutions in order to build capacity in African communities and lay the foundation for peace, stability and prosperity.
By investing in promising refugee individuals, FORGE provides opportunities for refugees to transform their home communities, both in camps and in the countries where they will eventually repatriate. To this end, FORGE provides microloans, educational sponsorship, and social-entrepreneurship opportunities to refugees with a vision for improving their communities. Additionally, FORGE manages 32 refugee-run development projects including libraries, computer centers, preschools, health education programs, a refugee-rights advocacy center, arts & music programs, and adult education programs.
FORGE works with over 50,000 refugee men, women, and children from the DR Congo, Angola, Rwanda, Burundi, and Sudan in three UN-managed camps in Zambia.
vital stats:
people impacted:
60people involved:
0why it's important:
FORGE builds upon the capacity of African refugees to cultivate empowered communities and to create the conditions for peace and prosperity in their countries.
the plan of action:
FORGE's strategy centers around the idea that refugees are a particularly powerful target population in the pursuit of peace and security in war-torn regions. In Africa, where conflicts tend to be long and drawn out, refugee populations are not only highly accessible, but also highly motivated – open to new ideas and committed to building better futures for themselves and their families. Most importantly, people displaced by war will eventually return to their home countries and communities and bring with them the new knowledge and skills that they gained while in refuge. Thus, building capacity in individuals who have been forced to flee from war allows for the process of peace-building and social stabilization to begin before the war even ends.
