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RD Learning Hub: Lok Neno, Uganda
A research, demonstration, and training center in Northern Uganda
At the heart of Palabek Refugee Settlement in Northern Uganda lies Lok Neno, a Resilience Design training, demonstration, and research site.
Lok Neno – which means “Let's change our mindset" in the Acholi language – serves as the primary Resilience Design learning hub in Africa.
In 2022, the Ugandan government awarded African Women Rising (AWR) the opportunity to develop a 15-acre model farm, training, and research site in Palabek Refugee Settlement. Located next to the United Nations World Food Programme headquarters and the Office of the Prime Minister on the main road into the settlement, the land was previously abandoned as barren and used for rock quarrying and brick-burning. AWR, in partnership with the co-developers of the Resilience Design toolkit, have transformed the land into a large-scale program demonstration, training, and research site for regenerative solutions for the humanitarian sector.
Lok Neno in April 2022 and May 2024
The unique site serves multiple functions.
Training
Lok Neno hosts the Resilience Design Training-of-Trainers certification course, which inspires and equips humanitarian practitioners to integrate more ecologically-based practices in their programming. It also hosts week-long Permagarden and Earthworks for Resilience trainings for the broader humanitarian and development sector. To date, over 250 people have been trained from 54 agencies representing 18 different countries.
Learn more about the trainings
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Research
Lok Neno hosts local and international scientists and institutional partners studying the ecological and nutritional impacts of Resilience Design. Combining remote sensing and in-situ data, the research program aims to bolster the evidence base around RD.
Demonstration
Lok Neno demonstrates best practices for Resilience Design. It also acts as a life regeneration hub, providing a variety of locally-adapted seeds, plant stock, and tree seedlings for biodiverse plantings in the refugee settlement and host community.
Lok Neno has quickly become an important resource for the broader humanitarian sector in Palabek by serving as a community meeting space.
