This learning brief presents the findings of a qualitative study conducted to evaluate the impact of Community Process Facilitators (CPF) as a sustainable community-led approach to enhance refugee and host community integration in Kampala. In addition to fostering social cohesion, the brief highlights the critical role CPFs have played in improving access to services by bridging the gap between communities and service providers, ensuring that referrals, follow-ups, and community feedback loops are more responsive and inclusive. 

The brief is informed by insights from community mobilization and social integration activities carried out over a four-year period under the Refugees in East Africa: Boosting Urban Innovations for Livelihoods Development (Re:BUiLD) program. Re:BUiLD is a five-year program (2021-2025) implemented by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and partners in Kampala, Uganda, and Nairobi, Kenya, with funding from the IKEA Foundation. This brief shares insights and learnings from social cohesion activities in Kampala implemented by Re:BUiLD’s implementation partner, Platform for Vendors in Uganda (PLAVU). The recommendations from the learning brief are intended for partners involved in social cohesion activities to promote refugee-host social integration. The brief highlights learnings from two critical areas: the effectiveness of the CPFs in facilitating refugee–host collaboration and the social cohesion changes observed at the community level resulting from their work.