About Uganda Refugee Voice for Rights (URVR)
Uganda Refugee Voice for Rights URVR Uganda is a community-based human rights and refugee advocacy organization founded at Nakivale Refugee Settlement, Isingiro District, Uganda. URVR Uganda was established by refugees for refugees, with a mission to defend rights, amplify voices, and change lives. As a community-based human rights organization Uganda, URVR Uganda provides legal aid, documents SGBV & LGBT cases, protects children and advocates for refugee rights. As a leading human rights organization Uganda, URVR Uganda works with refugees from DRC, Burundi, Somali, Rwanda and South Sudan to ensure justice, dignity and protection for all. Our human rights organization Uganda was established to bridge the gap between vulnerable refugees and the protection they deserve.
Our Mission
To promote, protect and advocate for the human rights of refugees and host communities through legal aid, documentation, civic education and community empowerment.
Our Vision
A world where every refugee lives in dignity, safety and enjoys full protection of their fundamental human rights.
Our Values
Human Dignity – Justice - Transparency – Solidarity - Empowerment – Accountability
Our Founder
URVR was founded by BYAMUNGU NGIRIMBA, a human rights defender and refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He holds a university degree in Commercial and Administrative Sciences from Institut Supérieur Pédagogique ISP BUKAVU.Before founding URVR, he worked as an investigative journalist at community radio stations Kamanyola RCKa and Flash FM, then as Investigation Officer for human rights abuses at the Nouvelle Société Civile Congolaise NSCC at its coordination office, and as a teacher in several schools in kamanyola.Driven by his personal experience as a refugee and his deep commitment to justice, he established URVR at Nakivale Refugee Settlement to give refugees a voice and ensure their rights are protected.
Our Story
Uganda Refugee Voice for Rights (URVR) was born out of lived experience. Founded at Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Isingiro District, Uganda, URVR emerged from the determination of refugees who witnessed daily violations of human rights and decided to act.Nakivale is one of the oldest and largest refugee settlements in Africa, hosting over 130,000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Somalia, and other countries. Despite their resilience, refugees at Nakivale face significant challenges — limited access to justice, SGBV, child abuse, statelessness, and marginalization.URVR was founded to bridge this gap — to give refugees a voice, document violations, provide legal aid, and advocate for lasting change. What began as a small community initiative has grown into a recognized organization working at the intersection of human rights, protection, and community empowerment.Today, URVR serves both refugee and host communities, believing that human dignity are universal and that every person — regardless of nationality or status — deserves to live in safety, dignity, and freedom.