The biochar enterprise
Five kilns, an accredited manufacturing team, and international partners working toward regular carbon-credit sales. The story from 2022 to today.
The FlagshipRefugee-led · Nakivale, Uganda
Turning forestry waste into healthy soil, safe water, and carbon credits
Umoja Community Foundation is led by refugees in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, Uganda. Our team makes biochar from forestry waste, sells it as carbon removal, and uses it to rebuild fields and filter drinking water.
- 5biochar kilns in operationas of 2026
- 242farmers in the seed & soil programas of Oct 2024
- 3water treatment tanks built, serving thousands of households a dayas of Aug 2026
- 2 timesbean yield on biochar-amended fieldsas of 2025
Two connected projects
Biochar revenue helps pay for the water plants
The biochar in our water filters is made a few hundred meters away by our own team, and selling it paid for the water hardware. The two projects grew out of each other and still run together.
Working with
- OpenAir Collectivecarbon removal network, USA
- BionerG Limitedbiochar engineering, UK
- EcoTradeZonecarbon credit pathway
- UNHCRUN Refugee Agency
- Nsamiziwater implementing partner
- EcoRestoration Alliancelivelihoods & restoration
- Rotary Club of MareebaNorth Queensland, Australia
- African Leadership Transformationwomen’s leadership
- Heidi Latsky DanceOn Display Global, New York
- Regeneration Canadaregenerative agriculture
Beyond the kilns
Programs the community runs itself
Agriculture & Seed Bank
Seed, training and biochar-amended soil for refugee farmers in Nakivale.
Women’s Leadership & Livelihoods
Leadership training and sustainable enterprises for women in the settlement.
Emerging Leaders & Entrepreneurs
From youth leadership training to launched ventures.
UWEZO: Disability Inclusion
Occupational skills and visibility for people with disabilities. "Uwezo" means "abilities" in Swahili.
Mental Health
Trauma-informed support for women and girls.
Community Savings & Microfinance
Safe savings for refugees earning market income.
Latest from Nakivale
All updates
Two more water treatment plants funded
As of May 2026, two additional water treatment plants are funded, each designed to deliver a 20-liter jerry can of clean water daily to 500 households.
Newsletter Volume 3 published
Volume 3 of the UCF newsletter (December 2025) is now available, joining Volumes 1 and 2 on the Transparency page.
Biochar doubles bean yields on seed-bank fields
On fields where UCF’s biochar soil amendment was applied in 2025, bean yields doubled.