Rwamwanja
To date (26th July), UNHCR reports that over 33,000 refugees are already in Uganda with 8,000 of them still at the transit centre in Nyakabande; Kisoro. National resources which are usually inadequate are more than strained. Rwamanja Refugee settlement has big issues with water and has limited facilities and services to support an ever increasing number of refugees. The camp is situated on 41.9 sq miles of land with each refugee household allocated 1.25 acres for housing and agriculture. Different NGOs are working together to address the most urgent needs and ADRA together with FAO will be working on the Food Security part of the program in the Refugee settlement.
We got a new name – Refugees
Uganda being one of the countries that boarder with DR Congo, has been affected with a high influx of the Congolese refugees resulting from the current civil war between the Congolese government forces and armed militia since November 2011 after the presidential election.
ADRA Uganda through the ADRA Network and contributions of used clothes from the SDA churches around Kampala did a first intervention in April 2012 to the Nyakabanda refugee reception center. The intervention targeted the most vulnerable including people with disabilities, un-accompanied minors, the elderly, expectant mothers and mothers with newly born infants.
After the Rwamwanja settlement was re- opened, ADRA Uganda went in with more clothing, Jerry cans, water purifying tablets and wheel chairs targeting those that had been relocated before the Nyakabande intervention. The team also carried out an assessment of the general situation at the settlement in collaboration with Government and other stakeholders
To date (26th July), UNHCR reports that over 33,000 refugees are already in Uganda with 8,000 of them still at the transit centre in Nyakabande; Kisoro. National resources which are usually inadequate are more than strained. Rwamanja Refugee settlement has big issues with water and has limited facilities and services to support an ever increasing number of refugees. The camp is situated on 41.9 sq miles of land with each refugee household allocated 1.25 acres for housing and agriculture. Different NGOs are working together to address the most urgent needs and ADRA together with FAO will be working on the Food Security part of the program in the Refugee settlement.
According to the assessment carried out by ADRA Uganda, The office of the Prime minister, the Uganda Red Cross and the UNHCR in the month of May 2012, it was discovered that the refugee camp is faced with several challenges in the areas of food security, environment threats (as the refugees are cutting down the trees in the area for firewood and charcoal burning), health, water & sanitation, plus education and recreation for the children,.
The follow up emergency response will be implemented by ADRA Uganda in the Rwamwanja refugee settlement camp found in the Kamwenge district where the Congolese refugees are being resettled from Nyakabande reception camp by the UNHCR together with Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) of the Ugandan Government.
This intervention mainly targets a total of 7,500 households (counting an average of 4 members per family). The main goal of the intervention is to improve livelihoods for the civil war displaced Congolese refugees.
ADRA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with FAO to implement a 3 months project in which the refugee community will have access to high value and quick maturing vegetable and cereal seeds provided by FAO. For a successful intervention, ADRA Uganda has assessed and identified some gaps that are not included in the FAO response, including the need for farm tools, protection of crops and an office/storage for purposes of being able to support and monitor the work effectively and efficiently. ADRA Uganda has interviewed and employed personnel for the intervention and the staff are already on the ground in Rwamwanya.
ADRA Uganda is planning the intervention to continue for 6 months so as to be able to do a thorough job and not just go in with a quick and non-sustainable input. After the 6 months there will be a new assessment done by ADRA Uganda to see what the basic needs are and how to work with the refugee group in a more development oriented way.
The project will benefit a total of 7,500 households providing the beneficiaries with seeds, equipment and knowledge in planting and growing their own food, there will also be given technical support for sensitization and monitoring. The project will also provide seed and equipment storage as well as office facilities for the implementing staff.
The activities of this intervention shall include: community mobilization and sensitization, distribution of farm implements and seeds, training and capacity building in basic farming skills. In addition to this there will be training in other cross cutting issues among the community members, HIV and AIDS, Environmental awareness, Gender related issues especially gender based violence, and Child protection plus conflict resolution. ADRA will be working with other NGOs in the area who are specialized in some of the above areas. There will be group formations, collaboration with stakeholders, and assistance in creating linkages of resource persons and groups.
During the implementation of this follow up emergency project ADRA Uganda will use her experience and lessons learnt in implementing livelihood emergency interventions from 1987 up to date. In addition to that, ADRA Uganda is currently implementing a Poverty Reduction and Economic Empowerment Program in Kamwenge district targeting the Tanzanians Expellees who were resettled in the district, ADRA was part of the initial interventions, which has been seen as a very successful one by the Government of Uganda and the Community in the area. This puts the organization at an advantage while implementing this emergency response intervention because the organization is already oriented to the area setting and is very well known by the local leaders in the community.
Please see the following link to view a short film clip from the refugee camp in Nyakabanda, where the refugees are first registered before coming to Rwamwanya, and where ADRA Ugandas first interventions were done.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkYg7Ck0yu8&feature=relmfu
