Building Refugee Self-Reliance through DREAMS

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In this section

We’re proving there’s a more sustainable, dignified solution for refugees

Refugees living in extreme poverty are among the world’s most vulnerable populations. Through DREAMS, Village Enterprise and Mercy Corps are on a mission to equip millions of refugees to overcome extreme poverty and rebuild their lives through self-reliance.

Delivering Resilient Enterprises and Market Systems, better known as DREAMS, was created as a sustainable alternative to traditional humanitarian aid for refugees. Too often, refugee relief programs supply short-term aid that can vanish at a moment’s notice, leaving refugees unable to provide basic needs for their families. DREAMS is a long-term, holistic solution that combines Village Enterprise’s poverty graduation model with Mercy Corps’ expertise in market systems development. By integrating our two proven approaches, we’re ensuring refugees have everything they need to launch thriving businesses, overcome extreme poverty, and begin building brighter futures for themselves and their families.

Check Out DREAMS in the News

A woman smiling in a field of tall green plants, holding a bundle of leafy branches.

Photo credit: Jjumba Martin for Mercy Corps

Scaling DREAMS
across Africa

First launched in 2018 as a pilot in refugee settlements in northern Uganda, this groundbreaking model is now transforming lives across four countries in East Africa. DREAMS was a 2021 finalist of the Larsen Lam ICONIQ Impact Award for Refugees managed by Lever for Change and a recipient of Fast Company’s 2023 World Changing Ideas Award.

Because of its success in refugee settlements, one of the world’s most challenging contexts, DREAMS is now being scaled to reach other vulnerable populations living in extreme poverty. Not only are we directly implementing DREAMS alongside Mercy Corps, but we’re scaling this program alongside local organizations through technical assistance. Learn more about how DREAMS is changing lives in each of the countries below.

Winnie Auma

Chief Program Officer

Uganda

A woman smiles in an African hair salon with clients and braided hair displays in the background.

A smiling woman stands in a rustic market stall with various goods displayed, including vegetables and packaged items.

A woman smiling and wearing a white shirt and blue headscarf against a plain dark background.

A woman and man standing outside a small shop made of corrugated metal and wood, with goods displayed in the background. Another man and woman sitting beside them.

A rural scene with people near traditional homes, surrounded by greenery and a cloudy sky overhead.

A group of women shopping at an outdoor market stall with dried goods, under tarpaulin canopies, on a cloudy day.

12,000

entrepreneurs trained by 2026

4,000

businesses launched by 2026

80,000

lives transformed by 2026

After a successful pilot, DREAMS fully launched in Uganda in 2022, and is equipping refugees and host community members in two refugee settlements to start sustainable businesses.

Partners and Funders

Ethiopia

A smiling woman and man pose with a baby against a background of woven branches.

Three women stand smiling in colorful attire in front of a market stall with various goods and produce.

A woman in a purple shirt tends to chickens inside a coop with scattered feed and water dispensers.

A smiling man and woman sit together outdoors, the woman is wearing a red shawl.

Three women in colorful hijabs unlocking a box used to store savings.

28,800

entrepreneurs trained by 2028

9,600

businesses started by 2028

192,000

lives transformed by 2028

DREAMS launched in Ethiopia in 2023. Thanks to funding from the IKEA Foundation and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, DREAMS is transforming lives in three refugee settlements in the Dollo Ado region. Building on this success, we expanded DREAMS to support non-refugee populations in the highlands of Ethiopia through funding that USAID awarded to Mercy Corps. As part of this project, we’re working in close collaboration with local Ethiopian organizations to provide technical assistance as they implement our model.

Read Runbille and Arfon’s stories, two refugees who have launched businesses through DREAMS in Ethiopia.

Partners and Funders

Tanzania

A group of people seated on mats sorting nuts around a blue basin filled with nuts.

8,000

entrepreneurs trained by 2028

2,667

businesses started by 2028

53,340

lives transformed by 2028

DREAMS Tanzania is just getting started as we work with naturalized citizens who were originally refugees, mostly from Burundi. DREAMS will be implemented through local Tanzanian organizations as we provide technical assistance. This project is made possible thanks to funding Mercy Corps received from a generous anonymous donor.

Partners and Funders

Kenya

A man and woman smile with a baby wrapped in a patterned cloth, standing indoors with colorful fabrics behind them.

A woman stands by a wooden stall with tomatoes, potatoes, and mangoes arranged on a table.

A woman in a floral headscarf smiles in an arid landscape with scattered trees.

720

entrepreneurs trained by 2025

240

businesses started by 2025

4,800

lives transformed by 2025

DREAMS launched in Kenya in 2024 to serve populations living in extreme poverty in Garissa County thanks to funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.