Vuga William

Vuga William, a South Sudanese, has been a refugee for 28 years. He was forced to flee his homeland due to civil war and has been residing in the Pagriniya Refugee Settlement in Uganda's Adjumani district. The difficulties he faced as a refugee prompted him to establish the Youth Empowerment Foundation (YEF), a Community Based Organization that aims to empower and change the narrative for both refugees and host communities in the refugee camps by providing access to skills and knowledge. His work with YEF has transformed him into a tech advocate and community leader. He began his journey by self-training and learning through a peer-to-peer structure with friends. He later initiated the Defyhatenow project in Adjumani, which is an initiative that combats online and offline hate speech. He organized multiple meetups and workshops for his community to assists thousands of communities in addressing their local problems and provides young people with access to information and basic education.