Refugees and members of their host communities will display businesses, creative products and vocational skills at a public exhibition in Kampala later this month.
The two-day event, organised by the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Uganda, will be held on September 25 and 26, 2026, at the organisation’s offices on St Augustine Road in Nsambya.
Organised under the inaugural JRS Uganda Open Days, the exhibition is intended to give the public a closer look at the abilities and enterprises refugees are developing as they rebuild their lives in Uganda.
Visitors will interact with entrepreneurs working in fashion, design, arts and crafts, catering and other fields. The programme will also include African cuisine, music and cultural performances.
Some of the exhibitors are former participants in JRS vocational and livelihood programmes who have since established businesses. Current trainees will demonstrate the skills they are acquiring.
The exhibition is expected to connect the participants with customers, financial institutions, private companies, non-governmental organisations, universities and development partners.
Ami-Adolphe Mudekereza, the JRS Communications Officer for Eastern and Southern Africa, said the event would help the public understand the organisation’s work and the experiences of the people it serves.
“We want the Open Day to help people better understand who we are, what we do and the difference our programmes make,” Mudekereza said.
“It will also showcase the skills, talents, resilience and initiatives of refugees and host communities, while strengthening partnerships and connections.”
JRS has invited businesses, entrepreneurs, community initiatives and other organisations to register as exhibitors and present their products, services and innovations.
The Open Days come amid efforts to support refugees beyond emergency assistance by equipping them with skills and opportunities to earn an income. Such interventions can also encourage interaction and economic cooperation between displaced people and their host communities.
JRS Uganda provides education, livelihood and socioeconomic-integration support. Its other programmes include mental health and psychosocial services, basic-needs assistance, pastoral care, peacebuilding and reconciliation.
The organisation has operated in Uganda since 1993 and currently works with refugees and vulnerable members of host communities in Kampala and Adjumani.
Its country director, Fr Paul Kalenzi, SJ, has a personal connection to displacement. He spent part of his childhood in Nairobi after his parents fled Uganda during Idi Amin’s rule.
JRS was founded in 1980 as a work of the Society of Jesus. Its mandate is to accompany, serve and advocate for refugees and other forcibly displaced people.
The first day of the exhibition will run from 9am to 5pm, while the second will begin at 11am and close at 5pm. Admission is free and open to the public.
