The Robert D. Stillman Dignity Award

Established in 2020, the Robert D. Stillman Dignity Award honors community-based organizations responding to the risks and challenges that affect the wellbeing of children and young people. The award recognizes organizations advancing the dignity of children and youth by providing critical support, creating pathways to opportunity, and building communities where young people can feel safe, valued, and empowered. The award was established in honor of former GFC Board Chair Bob Stillman.

Meet this year’s winner: Amuno Rural Hub – Uganda

In rural communities, children hold incredible potential. They are curious learners, creative thinkers, and emerging leaders, shaped by the strengths, stories, and resilience of the communities around them. When they have access to safe spaces, quality learning opportunities, and supportive relationships, that potential can grow into something powerful. Yet for many children, barriers such as distance from school, limited learning resources, and economic hardship make those opportunities harder to reach.

Founded to respond to these challenges, Amuno Rural Hub is creating opportunities for children and young people in underserved communities by ensuring they have not only access to quality education, but also the support systems they need to thrive.

Amuno Rural Hub is a community-based and youth-led organization working to give rural children a fair shot at education and life. Through literacy and numeracy learning, life skills development, and community support, the organization is helping rural children build the confidence, knowledge, and practical skills they need for the future.

What makes Amuno Rural Hub’s approach unique is its understanding that education does not exist in isolation. The organization addresses the real barriers that prevent children from learning by combining play-based education with practical support for families and communities. Every day, children from the ages 3 to 18 participate in literacy and numeracy activities, while also benefiting from health routines, nutritious meals, and spaces designed to encourage creativity, confidence, and belonging.

Beyond serving children directly, Amuno Rural Hub is investing in the next generation of leaders. Through its Literacy Champions Program, young people aged 13 to 18 take on leadership roles within the organization, supporting younger children through reading activities, games, and peer learning sessions. These youth leaders are trained in facilitation, child protection, leadership, and life skills, helping shape programs with insights drawn from their own lived experiences.

George, a 17-year-old programs assistant who began his journey as a Literacy Champion, is a powerful example of youth leadership in action. Today, he helps lead after-school activities, mentors younger champions, and brings critical insight into the realities young people face in rural communities.

At Amuno Rural Hub, youth voices are not symbolic, they are central to how the organization grows. Young people help identify children who need additional support, advise on community outreach strategies, and lead conversations on issues affecting their lives, including school dropout, early marriage, hunger, mental health, and peer pressure. Their perspectives ensure the organization’s work remains deeply rooted in community realities.

Amuno Rural Hub’s impact also extends beyond children and youth. Parents and caregivers, particularly mothers, participate in livelihood training, savings groups, and parenting workshops that strengthen household stability and help families better support their children’s education. Community members, local leaders, and government officials also play an active role in shaping and sustaining the organization’s work, creating a model built on shared ownership and long-term change.

Looking ahead, Amuno Rural Hub has an ambitious vision: to build a permanent, community-owned center where rural children can learn, grow, and feel supported every day. The organization hopes to move from its current rented space to a land of its own, where it can expand classrooms, create reading and activity spaces, establish safe outdoor play areas, and build a digital learning corner for children and families.

Support from Global Fund for Children’s 2026 Robert D. Stillman Dignity Award will help make that vision possible.

The award will strengthen Amuno Rural Hub in three critical ways: by supporting its core leadership team, helping secure land for a permanent home, and investing in communications tools and training that will help the organization share its impact, build partnerships, and strengthen long-term sustainability.

Through its commitment to equity, youth leadership, and community ownership, Amuno Rural Hub is showing what it means to advance dignity in practice. With this award, the organization will be able to deepen its impact, reach more children and families, and continue building a future where no rural child is left behind.

Amuno Rural Hub is a community-based partner in Global Fund for Children’s Thriving Through Play initiative, supported by LEGO Foundation. The initiative addresses the significant lack of financial and nonfinancial resources available to community-based organizations working with children in refugee and host communities in Kenya and Uganda. Recognizing the power of play as a tool for healing, the initiative supports partners using play-based and adaptive approaches, including art, dance, sports, and games, to strengthen children’s mental health, social-emotional development, and resilience, while creating safe spaces for self-expression, peer support, and mentorship for children and their caregivers.