Lok Neno Learning Hub

At the heart of Palabek Refugee Settlement in Northern Uganda lies Lok Neno, a Resilience Design training, demonstration, and research site.

Lok Neno – which means “Let's change our mindset" in the Acholi language – serves as the primary Resilience Design learning hub in Africa.

In 2022, the Ugandan government awarded African Women Rising (AWR) the opportunity to develop a 15-acre model farm, training, and research site in Palabek Refugee Settlement. Located next to the United Nations World Food Programme headquarters and the Office of the Prime Minister on the main road into the settlement, the land was previously abandoned as barren and used for rock quarrying and brick-burning.

AWR, in partnership with the co-developers of the Resilience Design toolkit, have transformed the land into a large-scale program demonstration, training, and research site for regenerative solutions for the humanitarian sector.

Lok Neno in April 2022 and April 2025: A bird’s-eye view of the community-level transformation taking place. Credit: Otim Oscar

Training, Research and Demonstration Hub

The unique site serves multiple functions.

Training

Lok Neno hosts the Resilience Design Training-of-Trainers certification course, which inspires and equips humanitarian practitioners to integrate more ecologically-based practices in their programming. It also hosts week-long Permagarden and Earthworks for Resilience trainings for the broader humanitarian and development sector. To date, over 245 people have been trained from 54 agencies representing 15 different countries.

Learn more about the RD trainings

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  Training participants conduct resource walks, identifying useful local resources. Credit: Thomas Cole
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  The RD Training Certification is offered twice a year at Lok Neno. Credit: Thomas Cole
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  RD training participants learn to build and use A-frame levels to map the contours of their sites. Credit: Thomas Cole

Research

Lok Neno hosts local and international scientists and institutional partners studying the ecological and nutritional impacts of Resilience Design. Combining remote sensing and in-situ data, the research program aims to bolster the evidence base around RD.

Demonstration

Lok Neno demonstrates best practices for Resilience Design. It also acts as a life regeneration hub, providing a variety of locally-adapted seeds, plant stock, and tree seedlings for biodiverse plantings in the refugee settlement and host community.

Lok Neno has quickly become an important resource for the broader humanitarian sector in Palabek by serving as a community meeting space.

Frequently Asked Questions