136 Learning from grassroot initiatives for policy and practice development in the East and Horn of Africa region

Abstract EP2.2, e-Poster Terminal 2, September 3, 2025, 13:05 - 14:00 Aim The East and Horn of Africa region by the end of 2024 due to conflict and climate change-related disasters hosts 23.6 million refugees and internally displaced persons (IDP). Aim of a capacity building initiative in the region is to Learn from community experts about practices in place for promoting refugees’ health. Methods The Center for Health and Migration, Austria (CHM) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM UN-Migration), in cooperation with stakeholders at international, national, and sub-national level organize Health and Migration online courses. By 2024, 5 courses have been implemented and a community of 332 experts who work for and with migrants and refugees, in policy making, program development, and health and social care in the East and Horn of Africa region has been built up. Provision of health care for refugees and IDP is an important topic in the course. Results One successful practice model identified in the capacity building initiative, is the Refugee Life Support Network (R.L.S.N.), a local NGO in Kampala, Uganda, 2017 founded and since then led by a Burundian refugee. Funded by donations, R.L.S.N. with volunteering refugee professionals provides free medical consultation to around 2,000 refugees annually, including mental health services, financial assistance for medical examinations and medications. In a dedicated webinar the case of R.L.S.N. was presented to an international and interdisciplinary group of interested alumni from the five health and migration courses. The discussion highlighted the high impact of community-based grassroot organisations in low-resource settings and challenges faced, e.g. an increase in the number of patients and at the same time a decrease in financial resources. Conclusion Development of inclusive health policies and programs could benefit from the practice knowledge of community experts. Sharing experiences and mutual learning within a group of experts working with refugees can impact practice development.