Dear readers,
As the year draws to a close, we look back on a dynamic and eventful period marked by enriching experiences as well as challenges. While many global developments have filled us with concern and sorrow, we are especially grateful for the people and initiatives that stand up for others, foster open dialogue based on mutual understanding, and work to ensure the right to a dignified life for all.
We remain committed to our work and look back on what we have achieved over the past year. An important milestone was the move to our new office in the Global Village in Berlin, which is shared by several development-policy and migrant-diasporic organisations. In our psychosocial projects, many women took part and found support, exchange, and mutual strength—both in Iraq and in Germany. In Mayotte, we successfully concluded our project and laid the groundwork for the energy communities formed during the project to continue independently in the future. In Uganda and Rwanda, we conducted a social network analysis to prepare the next steps of our energy access project and to establish the foundation for collaborative learning processes in living labs planned for the coming year. In addition, we published two scientific articles and secured a new project that will begin next year. Together with partner organizations from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Greece, this three-year project will address water scarcity and societal issues as a consequence of climate change in the Mediterranean region.
This issue looks back on two selected experiences among the many that have shaped our work over the past months. From cross-border cooperation in Karamoja to psychosocial support for Ukrainian refugees, both contributions highlight the complexity of the current challenges and the power that lies in cooperation, solidarity, and care. We want to share some personal impressions from our internal end-of-year workshop, where we paused to reflect on the values and motivations that drive our work.
We are grateful for your continued interest and support and wish you a restful and peaceful end to the year.
Warm wishes,
the Hudara team
Voices from the field
Working across borders in Karamoja
In the cross-border landscapes of Karamoja, communities, institutions, and partners are working together to address persistent challenges. Strengthening livelihoods, fostering cross-border cooperation, and listening to diverse voices are essential steps toward reducing vulnerability to climate shocks, closing systemic gaps, and gradually building more inclusive pathways to resilience, peace, and sustainable development.
Puzzling pieces together
Building strength through connection: Peer support for and by Ukrainian refugees
As millions of Ukrainians build new lives far from home, many carry invisible wounds of war, loss, and uncertainty. Yet healing often begins not only in therapy rooms, but in kitchens, community halls, and everyday conversations between people in similar situations. Support from peers offers more than comfort; it restores connections and can convey a sense of shared strength.
Happenings
Looking back, listening in: Closing the year together
In this end-of-year newsletter, we are not announcing an upcoming event – instead, we would like to share with you our experience of a reflective end-of-year workshop at our office in Berlin. Everyone contributed something related to their respective field of work but deliberately avoided focusing on specific project results.
