Learning hub

What is the learning Hub?

The Learning Hub (LH) is the component of U-Learn that focuses on learning.

 

1.5 million refugees live in Uganda, some of them over ten years. In this protracted crisis, partners strive to increase self-reliance. The response is rich in knowledge and evidence about approaches that foster better lives for refugees and host communities. However, this evidence is often not easily or publicly accessible. Partners in the refugee response lack the time and opportunities to learn from it to become more effective. Furthermore, some of the non-traditional humanitarian actors are sometimes excluded from knowledge exchanges.

 

The Learning Hub employs a unique cross-sectoral and collaborative learning approach to the refugee response in Uganda. The first step is to make existing evidence more accessible and the next is to facilitate uptake, i.e. use of the knowledge and insights in policy and practice.

 

Rather than sifting through 30 lengthy research reports and contacting 20 organizations to gather insights on value chains, partners can streamline their efforts by consulting the Agricultural Value Chains Strategic Positioning Paper. This single report consolidates all the essential information, recommending 10 value chains for the refugee response based on synthesized evidence and expert insights.

 

In addition, we foster links and exchanges of evidence between traditional (Government, INGO, UN, NGO) and non-traditional response actors (private sector, innovators, CBOs, RLOs, academics).

What does "LEARNING" Mean to Us?

U-learn's definition of learning

For U-Learn, learning is the deliberate exchange of knowledge across sectors of the refugee response in Uganda, to support evidence-based policies and practices for self-reliance and the humanitarian-development nexus.
Research is the generation of evidence and knowledge, while learning is the process that ensures this evidence is used to adapt and become more effective.

It is the “intentional process of generating, capturing, sharing, and analyzing information and knowledge from a wide range of sources to inform decisions and adapt programs to be more effective”.

Visit the U-Learn
Resource Centre

Resource Cenre

What does the Learning Hub do?

The objective of the Learning Hub is to support evidence-based decision-making and ultimately to allow for a change in policy and practice.

The Learning Hub collates with diverse partners, including non-traditional actors, and promotes existing evidence to the refugee response community. The focus of the learning work is guided by the needs of the response community and the identified gaps. Summaries and synthesis or new and innovative formats such as blogs and digital visualisations are used to bring together the most relevant evidence in easy to use ways. Learning events foster connections and partnerships. 
Through its Evidence and Learning Support Service (TELS), the LH supports any other refugee response stakeholders that needs help to share their evidence and lessons.

TRANSFORMATION

The LH fosters critical reflection and thought leadership through its collaborative and interactive learning processes. Learning from current and past approaches encourages uptake of good practices, and pivoting away from less successful approaches.

UPTAKE

To facilitate uptake, the LH has a large focus on dissemination, through its large network of Uganda refugee response stakeholders (settlement level, national and global) and through innovative and out-of-the-box formats and approaches. We feed learning captured from the Uganda refugee response into global refugee, protracted crisis, nexus and resilience policy debates.

  • Refugee Response

    Cross Sectoral Scope Focus on Resilience & Nexus

  • Learning Hub

    Fills in Learning Gaps and Facilitate Collective Learning

  • Our Work

    We Curate, Document & Share Resources and We Bring People Together

  • Increased Learning

    Make Knowledge More Accessible and Encourage Uptake for Improved Refugee Programmes and Policies

Visit our Tailored Evidence & Learning (TELS) Service
Activity 4

Convening

We bring actors together in face-to-face or on-line learning events to facilitate peer-learning and connections between diverse approaches.
Activity 5

MAPPING & VISUALISING

We compile, organise and present in easy-to-use or interactive formats the most relevant information on partners or approaches.
books
Activity 1

Resource curation

We bring together and select the most relevant existing knowledge and evidence.
student behind laptop
Activity 2

Documentation

We provide a systematic overview of recent and key experiences from the Ugandan context or document new experiences (innovations).
Activity 3

Synthesis and summary

We produce high quality summaries and analyses of evidence and knowledge. We add value by making it easier to access, understand and digest.