City Snapshots

Chosen for their reintegration dynamics and the local solutions rising in response, these cities offer growing insights — explore what we know so far, with full city notes coming soon.

Kakuma, Kenya

A camp being turned into a municipality

  1. Why it was selected for LLEARN? This is a camp being turned into a municipality and is currently housing over 306000 refugees. The timing of our PFs is in support of the current agenda on “out of camp” and towards municipalities supported and led by UNHABITAT, UNHCR and the government of Kenya with donor support

  2. What LLEARN to date has revealed? Job access is low, households are heavily in debt, and training rarely leads to work, even as refugee-led innovations begin to grow. Services are shared but uneven, digital systems leave some behind, and refugees feel less at home and less safe than hosts. Policies offer openings, but slow implementation, funding gaps, and limited participation keep decision-making top-down.

  3. What LLEARN can do? Our Participatory forum process comes in to make sure those processes are inclusive of the voices of the marginalised - including not just refugees but also the nomad pastoralists. As we heard at the second LLEARN workshop, pastoralists may feel sidelined and we will bring them into the conversation alongside others for the participatory forums and co-creation of priorities


Dessie, Ethiopia

Where people live with the constant fear of being forced back.

  1. Why it was selected for LLEARN? This area has become a refuge for many people displaced by conflict and drought - IDPs fear being sent back to their areas of origin whereas they are unprepared, there is also a refugee/mgirant population. The city is also a city with promises linked to economic activity - the agriculture sector is big but it also holds promises for the manufacturing sector, tourism and transportation sector

  2. What LLEARN to date has revealed?  Forced returns emerge as the biggest fear among IDPs notably. Some have developed health issues due to unsafe labour conditions, and food security has worsened as some INGOs have stopped their support. Returnees feel welcome but are not able to contribute to the extent that the host is, on taxation, which means they do not have access to the same services. Some of their basic needs are covered, by living with the host.

  3. What LLEARN can do? The Durable solutions framework has not yet been implemented and LLEARN hopes to contribute to operationalising priorities. Discussions to date have revealed the importance of the fiscal aspect - returnees and refugees/IDPs are willing to pay taxes but cannot due to documentation. Those who pay taxes can have access to locally led services that are paid for by the fiscal revenue, beyond humanitarian funding. LLEARN hopes to move the conversation towards this direction, to discuss structural pathways to inclusion and social cohesion, to change the narrative that returnees or refugees/IDPs are a burden. 

Bosaso, Somalia

A commercial port city at the heart of migration routes, where ambitions for inclusive planning depend on genuine bottom-up engagement.

  1. Why it was selected for LLEARN? Bosaso is a port city and the main hub to the Eastern Mediterranean route. It is a port city where people come to work, settle, or move onwards. For decades, it has hosted IDPs, refugees, and returnees. Most onward migration is regional or Gulf-bound, a smaller number travel through Ethiopia, Sudan, and Libya toward Europe, linking Bosaso to wider migration routes. Bosaso is about return and departure - a mobile context. It is also a commercial city that welcomes visitors - “open borders by sea and by land” . It owes its growth to newcomers and trade.

  2. What LLEARN to date has revealed? LLEARN data shows that Aweil’s (re)integration is network-driven but unequal. Only 3 in 10 displaced people work — mostly in low-paid informal jobs — and 88% rely on debt. Returnees trade but lack capital. Social access is limited: just 23% have adequate housing, 40% reach schools, and 33% reach healthcare. Politically, fewer than one-third of displaced people join community meetings, leaving refugees, returnees, and IDPs largely unrepresented — a gap LLEARN is working to close.

  3. What LLEARN can do? City extension plans and the Bosaso city strategy aim to promote equal access to services. LLEARN is aligning itself with the stated will of officials to turn Bosaso into a self-sufficient city. The economy in Bosaso provides many opportunities - the LLEARN data has revealed the importance of the green, blue and purple economies as outlets for economic (re)integration. These are some of the topics to be discussed at the PF process in 2026.


Aweil, South Sudan

Where overstretched services leave hidden migrant groups without support

  1. Why it was selected for LLEARN? Aweil is a crossroads for mobile populations — refugees, displaced people, returnees, and seasonal pastoralists — with most households relying on agriculture alongside a few emerging projects like the women’s market and teak or rice plantations. Despite the 2023 peace theme of “unity in diversity,” many residents struggle to see real opportunities locally. For many, onward movement still feels like the only viable option.

  2. What LLEARN to date has revealed?  LLEARN findings from Aweil show that access to schools, clinics, and housing depends heavily on where people live and whether they are formally recognised — with undocumented returnees and those in peripheral areas facing the biggest barriers. Strong community networks help bridge gaps, but these informal systems are overstretched, especially for women, older people, and persons with disabilities. Refugees, minority groups, and returnees report exclusion from jobs, housing, and local decision-making, and many experience daily stress and unequal safety. Ultimately, reintegration in Aweil hinges on rebuilding trust and ensuring fair access to essential services.

  3. What LLEARN can do?  Discussions show low trust in government compared to NGOs, and a clear need for a regular space for dialogue. LLEARN offers that platform, helping youth and communities understand the policies and laws that shape their lives, which most people currently do not know. Closing this communication gap is essential for stronger social inclusion, better access to services, and more grounded, bottom-up governance.

Koboko, Uganda

A refugee-led city showing a model worth repeating.

  1. Why it was selected for LLEARN? Koboko is a city where investments have been made previously by donors and actors to support urban planning and refugee inclusion under the vibrant leadership of the Mayor. This has led to the elaboration of the “Koboko model” which requires now further collaboration, across scales, and with communities at large. It can stand as an example of refugee-led urban planning that can be scaled to other similar contexts. 

  2. What LLEARN to date has revealed? Only one in three refugees earns an income and a third of households rely on debt. Services are overstretched, with many refugees in insecure housing and limited access to banking or healthcare. Well-being remains fragile, and only one in five refugees participates in local decision-making, leaving youth and women underrepresented despite strong trust in local governance.

  3. What LLEARN can do?  LLEARN can create stronger spaces for dialogue, make local planning more inclusive, and improve how policies and services are communicated to refugees and hosts. It can help Koboko move from good intentions to shared solutions shaped with the community. LLEARN can strengthen refugee–host participation in planning, support stronger business linkages, improve housing security, and embed psychosocial support into community systems — helping shift Koboko from local implementation to true local ownership.