TASS successfully convened co-creation workshops in Bossaso between October 20th and 23rd, 2025. The sessions engaged 45 participants in various cohorts including Youth (aged 18–34), Displaced and Host Community Members (aged 35+), and Stakeholders (including local government and civil society).

The key objectives were to validate LLEARN’s research findings, refine stakeholder and policy mapping, and collaboratively translate evidence into clear, impactful communication messages. This process sought to establish a “common language” and “common story” and ensure that the lived experiences of returnees, IDPs, and host communities directly inform the future of reintegration policy.

Insights confirmed that displaced families face significant barriers, including high debt levels, with 88% of households owing money for basic needs, and refugees experiencing poorer access to essential services like healthcare compared to IDPs.

These validated findings will now be used to shape the agenda for the upcoming urban Participatory Forums (PFs), which are crucial to integrating displaced groups into local development planning.

LLEARN, the Locally-Led East African Return & Reintegration Network, is an 18-month initiative funded by the European Union and contracted by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) through the MMD III Grant Facility.

Operating across Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, and South Sudan, LLEARN aims to strengthen local governance and create inclusive reintegration pathways for IDPs, refugees, and returnees in secondary cities, adopting a strictly Locally-Led, Evidence-Based, Community-Driven, Collaborative, and Bottoms-Up Approach to strengthen local governance and create sustainable reintegration pathways.

Read more about LLEARN’s impactful work and commitment to localization in East Africa at Llearn East Africa.