The Adjumani Design Challenge aimed for a mind-set change benefiting both refugees and their host communities. Uganda hosts over 1 mill refugees. Host communities in Uganda are challenged with increased competition over employment opportunities, scarcity of social services and environmental degradation. To enhance peaceful coexistence, empower youth to take an active role in their future, United Nations Development Programme together with Design without Borders implemented a design training for youth from Adjumani, a community hosting 200,000 South Sudanese refugees. Both refugee and host community youth were given practical human-centered design tools for problem solving. They created successful solutions and became change agents in their communities. Results show that challenges can be turned into opportunities by members of the communities themselves. This approach facilitates empowerment, creativity and confidence, essential for creating relevant solutions and self reliance.