The Tumaini Festival

WFP Food For Assets participants in Machinga and Mangochi districts supported by DFID and USAID since 2017 are gradually building resilience and become more food secure

Tumaini Festival is a music and cultural festival taking place in Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa, Malawi, Southern Africa. It presents a unique opportunity to support an innovative, large-scale cultural event developed and delivered by refugees and host community, which uses entertainment and artistic expression to promote intercultural harmony, mutual understanding and peaceful co-existence for the benefit of both communities.

Receiving the Ockenden Prize is deeply meaningful, not just for me, but for all of us at Tumaini Letu. Refugee-led organisations are too often overlooked, left out of the spaces where decisions and resources are shaped. To be recognised by an institution that chooses to see and uplift work led by refugees is both powerful and necessary. It affirms that our work is not on the margins, it is part of the solution. I started the Tumaini Festival because I could not accept a reality where refugees were cut off socially, culturally, and economically by policies that stripped away dignity, belonging, and hope. As a refugee myself, I kept asking: what can we build from within? The idea of a festival in a refugee camp felt almost impossible at first, even absurd. But since 2014, it has grown into something far greater than I imagined, restoring pride, creating opportunity, and changing how refugee communities see themselves and are seen by others. This recognition is a reminder that we are not alone in this mission: it strengthens our resolve to keep going, to keep building, creating, and pushing forward, because our voices matter, and they are being heard.

Trésor Nzengu Mpauni

Founder & CEO

What the judges said

Tumaini Letu, is a refugee-led organisation based in Dzaleka Refugee Camp, Dowa, Malawi founded in 2012. Since 2014, its flagship project, the annual Tumaini Festival has used music, dance, and the arts to promote refugee dignity, inclusion, and self-reliance. The judges singled it out for “an unapologetic celebration of refugees’ talents and contributions” as well as the fact that the festival was started by refugees.” They were also surprised that it is the only festival located in a refugee camp – and one that was once a prison. The judges said: “It plainly – and aurally – integrates community.” They noted that the event has also sparked market opportunities for the Camp’s refugees, a reliable way to develop self-reliance.” They admired its positive effect on morale of the community and the 5,400 jobs for people in the Camp the festival has generated, invoking a deep sense of pride, hope and joy by focussing its activity on the creative and practical.” The project is managed by 15 staff and 10 volunteers.

What particpants say

“As a poet and a volunteer, the Tumaini Festival is more than just an event; it is a light that has brought immense exposure and vital connections to my talent and my life.” — Paul PJ Joshua

“I have served as both a volunteer and a performing poet at the Tumaini Festival. By volunteering, I didn’t just give my time—I found my voice. Through every story shared, every stage set, and every smile exchanged, I discovered pieces of myself healing, growing, and daring to dream louder. Tumaini didn’t just shape my art; it reshaped my purpose.” — Heritier Havyarimana (Firstborn Poet)

“I am Ntawigane, also known as Black NTAW, a fashion designer based in the Dzaleka refugee camp. I began participating in the Tumaini Festival in 2022, and it has been a game-changer. Economically, I have seen the benefits through the sale of my designs. Beyond the income, the festival has connected me with people across Malawi and abroad, allowing me to showcase my talent through fashion shows that challenge stereotypes and show the world what refugees can achieve.” — Ntawigane (Black NTAW)

“The Tumaini Festival has been instrumental in my growth as an MC. It gave me the opportunity to perform for diverse audiences, sharpening my confidence, stage presence, and ability to engage crowds from different countries. They believed in me when no one else was watching and gave me the chance to serve my fellow refugees. Tumaini is a platform where dreams become reality.” — Tresor Ombeni (MC K.O.)

“During the festival week, I host guests in my home. While they provide a small payment, it is about so much more than the money. You share your home, your food, and your stories; in return, you receive something far more valuable than payment: lifelong connections.” — Amos Espoir

What staff and international volunteers say

“As a team leader, there are countless sleepless nights filled with stress, doubt, and exhaustion. There are moments when you tell yourself, ‘This is the last festival I’m doing.’ But then, the festival begins. Suddenly, you are surrounded by smiles, joy, and an energy that transforms the entire Dzaleka refugee camp. In those moments, the fatigue fades, replaced by something powerful and deeply human. That is what keeps you coming back—that is the power of Tumaini.” — Bryce Chawiya

“What stayed with me most from the Tumaini Festival was the people—those I worked, volunteered, and stayed with—and the intensity of building something dynamic that truly mattered. Volunteering here was one of the best experiences of my life.” — Shelly Steffler, Volunteer from Canada

“From what I have seen since joining Tumaini Letu, this festival is a place where refugees find their voice, share their identity, and turn self-expression into dignity, hope, and belonging.” — Hilary Chabuula

The Other 2026 Winners and Finalists

Ockenden International’s five cash prizes recognise and reward innovative projects that deliver evidential self-reliance to refugees and/or displaced people, the defining principle of Ockenden International since its inception as the Ockenden Venture in 1951. The five prizes are open to projects or programmes focused on Internally Displaced People (IDPs)/refugee self-reliance anywhere in the world. The other seven 2026 open prize contenders (with the other four winners italicised) are:

The eponymously named Daughters Rising project in Chiang Mai, Thailand empowers at-risk ethnic minority and refugee women and girls from Myanmar and Thailand through education, job training, emergency aid, and independence programs by tackling exploitation and inequality. It helps them find safety, skills, and self-sufficiency to break cycles of vulnerability and lead dignified, self-reliant lives.
Equal Legal Aid, Greece, for its project ‘Access to asylum and strategic legal aid for displaced people in northern Greece’, which the judges agreed was a “solid application providing legal clinics at five locations as well as telephone hotlines. It’s providing an essential service, doing important work for refugees including support for victims of gender violence.” Equal Legal Aid they said has “proven effective” in giving refugees a starting point in dealing with the bureaucratic and social complexities of their new lives in an area with no government support or legal infrastructure. The project, which includes 22 refugee volunteers, has so far helped 3,792 refugees.
Hope Foundation for Women and Children in Bangladesh’s project in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, ‘From Refugee to Health Worker: Building Self-Reliance among Rohingya Girls’ empowers displaced communities through healthcare, education, and training. Its Girls Health Aid Program equips young Rohingya women with medical and leadership skills, fostering self-reliance, employment, and improved community health while reducing dependence on aid.
iACT for its ‘Little Ripples’ project in the country of Chad, central Africa. The 2026 judging panel said it was heartening to see a project from the troubled, remote difficult-to-reach area of eastern Chad. They particularly liked the fact that the project was refugee-led within the refugee camp community – training the mothers to become teachers – while ensuring the camps were on board. They also noted the project’s “joyful approach” and impressive results, particularly in its work with very young children as well as the project’s built-in capacity for scale and empathy-based leadership, with 175 staff and volunteers having so far trained 1,975 teachers.
Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights’ ‘IT & Play (Toy) Bus – Mobile Support for Displaced Children and Youth’ project provides digital training, psychosocial support, and creative spaces, promoting healing, skills development, and independence, particularly for Yazidi and displaced youth recovering from conflict and trauma in Iraq and Syria.
Maya Vakfi (Foundation) in Adiyaman, Türkiye, conducts the project ‘Empowering Early Years: Enhancing Early Childhood Development for Refugee Children and Caregivers in Earthquake Affected Communities’ by empowering disadvantaged Syrian children and families through psychosocial support, education, and community programs following the devastating 2023 earthquakes.
Save Ukraine Foundation, in the Kyiv region, northern Ukraine, operates the ‘Hope and Healing Center’, providing comprehensive psychological and social assistance to Ukrainian children rescued from Russia and from Russian-occupied territories. The judging panel said it was an “impressive application borne of horrendous circumstances offering psychological support to clearly-disturbed children who have been kidnapped and returned” to Ukraine. The judges were impressed by the provision of holistic and bespoke care “ensuring that the children are given the best chance of rehabilitation and reintegration.” The 14 members of staff have helped rehabilitate 216 children.

The three UK Prize finalists (in alphabetical order) and their projects, with the winner in italics:

Hopscotch Women’s Centre, Camden, London, for its ‘Hopscotch Afghan Refugee Project (HARP)’, which aids Afghan refugees, offering language learning, community building, and confidence workshops was the standout UK project this year. “An amazing initiative,” the judges said because it “promotes a thoughtful and holistic approach to supporting Afghan families – particularly, mothers, the most vulnerable among resettled Afghans.” The project’s success in fostering vital connections with local statutory and voluntary organisations benefit the whole community, while its focus on childcare allows women attending their sessions to engage more freely with the initiatives. One thousand, six hundred and forty six people have so far been helped by the project, which is run by seven staff and six volunteers.
HostNation conducts its ‘Refugee Friendship Project’ in Greater London, Greater Manchester and Tyneside (Newcastle and Gateshead). HostNation is a volunteer-led charity connecting refugees and asylum seekers with local volunteer befrienders to ease isolation, build confidence, and foster friendships. Through shared activities and social support, it helps newcomers integrate, improve English, and feel part of the community.
The Launchpad Collective (TLC)‘s project ‘Led by Lived Experience: Unlocking Potential – Pathways to Dignity and Self-Reliance’ operates UK-wide supporting refugees to rebuild their lives through training, education, and mentoring. By improving skills, confidence, and employability, TLC supports refugees to move from exclusion to empowerment – restoring dignity and creating genuine pathways to sustainable work and independence.