Episode 35: Regeneration and Resilience for Refugees and Host Communities in Uganda (with Gloire Mudekuza)

Turning Season Podcast Episode 35 with Gloire Mudekuza hosted by Leilani Navar turningseason.com

Ready for a dose of Active Hope? Listen to Gloire Mudekuza, a young refugee, a social entrepreneur, a climate activist and a mentor in Uganda, making an impact in the refugee community. He is passionate about regenerative agriculture, climate action, and entrepreneurship. He is the founder and director of Plethora Social Initiative, a refugee-led organization that works to develop the inner potential and capacities of refugees in Nakivale Refugee settlement and their host community, developing a regenerative culture and building a resilient local community.

This conversation with Gloire was part of the Great Turning Summit, a daylong online event that we at School for the Great Turning hosted a couple weeks ago, on June 17. We got to hear from a diverse range of activists, visionaries, artists, and elders speaking about how they’re participating in the movement for life on this planet. We talked about how we’re collectively making a pivot toward a livable future, in collaboration with millions of people and the more-than-human world, all vying for life.

As part of the Summit, I had the opportunity to speak about The Great Turning in the intimate landscapes – the ecosystems – of our own bodies, and what Chinese Medicine and Deep Ecology teach us about illness and healing. I also hosted a panel on parenting during the Great Turning, and this conversation with Gloire Mudekuza. 

Click Play above or search for “Turning Season” wherever you listen to podcasts to hear about:

  • Gloire’s arrival in Nakivale Refugee Settlement 6 years ago, having fled from his original home in the Democratic Republic of Congo
  • his choice to focus on helping his community, and the shift from identifying as a victim to identifying as a survivor
  • local farming, impacts of climate change, and the value of learning permaculture
  • participating in the Gigaton Challenge to reduce carbon emissions and create green jobs for youth in Nakivale Refugee Settlement and the host communities
  • how he sees the Great Turning happening now, particularly in terms of leadership – and what the Great Turning means to him

plus more.

This conversation was powerful for me, and for many who attended the Summit. I hope you too enjoy it, learn from it, and feel inspired in your own way.

Turning Season Podcast is dedicated to offering regular doses of Active Hope in this Great Turning toward life-honoring, life-sustaining ways of being human, bringing you deep conversations with people who are rising to their own unique roles in this worldwide movement.  This show is for every one of you who’s awake to our multiple crises, feels your love for life on earth, and is finding your way to participate in cultivating ways of life we can believe in, making a life honoring present, even in the face of an uncertain future.

Click here to learn more about Plethora Social Initiative

Leilani Navar