We Are A Local Response to Reintegration for More Inclusive Societies
LLEARN — the Local Leadership East African Return and Reintegration Network — is a regional partnership across Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, and South Sudan.
Funded by the European Union and contracted by International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) through the MMD III Grant Facility, this 18-month initiative empowers local leadership to transform return, readmission, and reintegration by putting communities at the center and strengthening inclusive governance across the region.
Evidence -Based
Collaborative
Locally Led
Bottom-Up Approach
Community Driven
Evidence -Based Collaborative Locally Led Bottom-Up Approach Community Driven
A new model for Planning Sustainable Reintegration
LLEARN bridges research and action to co-create local solutions in East Africa. It supports community mediation, local dialogue, and stronger municipal governance—moving beyond a purely humanitarian response.
Through direct funding to local organisations, LLEARN builds ownership and capacity for reintegration. The programme aligns with the EU’s priorities on localisation, resilience, and Team Europe.
Learn more about our methodology here
What we do?
Support inclusive (re)integration of refugees, returnees, and IDPs in secondary cities across East Africa and the Horn
Generate locally led, community-driven evidence on displacement and urban reintegration
Translate research into action through participatory forums, city plans, and coalitions
Centre feminist, decolonial, and trauma-informed approaches in all we do
Shift power to local actors and build sustainable urban systems for all
How We Work?
Through locally led partnerships with municipalities, CSOs, and refugee-led organisations
1. By using mixed methods — combining qualitative stories, surveys, and policy analysis
2. With participatory tools like co-creation workshops and city-level forums
3. By applying a research-to-action cycle that turns evidence into plans and policies
4. Grounded in urban systems thinking, tailored to the realities of secondary cities
Where We work
Bosaso, Somalia
Kakuma & Kalobeyei, Kenya
Dessie, Ethiopia
Aweil, South Sudan
Koboko, Uganda
