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Rapid Response Payment Request No. 03 / 2012
Funds Sent To: The Lutheran World Federation
Amount Sent: USD 58,778
Date: 23rd Feb 2012
Details of Response
Emergency: Assistance to Sudanese refugees arriving at the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya
Date of Emergency: 20th February 2012
Requesting Member: The Lutheran World Federation, Kenya
Details of the Emergency:
During the latter part of 2011, increased fighting was reported along the southern border area of North Sudan, affecting villages in South Kordofan and Nuba mountains. This led to the displacement of North Sudanese, who have started arriving in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. In addition, recent ethnic fighting in Jonglei state in the Republic of South Sudan, between the Nuer and the Murle, has also led to displacement and increased arrivals in Kakuma refugee camp.
In the past month, there has been an increase in the number of both southern and northern Sudanese arriving in the Kakuma camp. The numbers are expected to increase with the ongoing fighting in the areas mentioned above, and based on reports that Sudanese people have been seen walking towards the Kenyan border. The UNHCR team visited the camp recently and held interviews with the newly arrived refugees for confirmation. Before arriving at the camp the refugees walk for 2 – 8 weeks.
Actions to Date, and Emergency Needs:
Agencies present in Kakuma are trying to respond in their different areas of expertise and experience.
The reception centre at Kakuma, which is run by LWF, has received 2,433 new arrivals in 2012. The total number includes 1,130 Southern Sudanese and 700 Northern Sudanese (75.2%) while 275 are unaccompanied minors (UAMs). A majority of the new arrivals are children and youth between the ages of 6-25 years.
The refugees need urgent support in: safety and security, shelter, hygiene, water and psycho-social Support:
- The current number of persons staying at the reception centre is now more than 1,600 in a centre designed to hold 700 people. This is more than twice its holding capacity, and the situation is expected to worsen. Refugees are sleeping on the ground in the open and are exposed to mosquitoes, harsh weather, wild animals and with no privacy. Meals are served in a two phased feeding program because there is not enough capacity to feed all the residents at the same time.
- The reception centre is now facing an emergency situation which cannot be addressed with the current facilities that are in place. Although the basic services of food and water are provided at the centre, to respond adequately to the high numbers arriving, the reception centre needs to be repaired urgently. Two of the shelters where the new arrivals sleep are condemned as a result of cracks on walls and on the floor.
- Additional shelter is also needed to accommodate new arrivals including a kitchen, cooking stoves, emergency materials and cooks. The play equipment for children is inadequate and there is a need for child friendly space and with play materials.
- Extra security guards and a fence are needed at night to protect the new arrivals at the centre.
- Extra child protection social workers are needed to handle the high numbers of children who are arriving as unaccompanied minors.
- More piping and water tanks are needed to store adequate water for the high numbers. The current facilities were designed to cater for a third of the current number of people.
Proposed Emergency Response:
- Objective(s) of the Emergency Response:
Overall Objective
Provision of emergency humanitarian services and psychosocial support for newly arrived Sudanese asylum seekers at the reception centre in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya.
Specific Objective
To respond to short term emergency needs of new arrivals at the reception centre in Kakuma Refugee camp for: safety / security, shelter, hygiene, water and psycho-social Support.
- target Populations:
The primary beneficiaries will be all new arrivals received through the reception centre.
- Proposed assistance:
- Increase capacity of reception centre kitchen and cooking items at the reception centre.
- Procure and install children’s play equipment for new arrivals.
- Enhance security for the new arrivals at the reception centre.
- Provide hygienic materials for new arrivals
- Procure urgently needed office supplies to facilitate the reception centre.
- Urgent repair and maintenance of shelters for the new arrivals
- Provide water facilities for the new arrivals.
- Procure and distribute mosquito nets to new arrivals
- Implementation arrangements:
LWF manages the reception centre where newly displaced people first come to on arrival whilst they wait to go through the registration process, before they are integrated into the camp.
- The LWF will continue partnering with the Government of Kenya’s Department of Refugee Affairs on the registration of new arrivals and with UNHCR on registration, provision of non food items and complimentary feeding.
- The World Food Program will provide food baskets for wet feeding for the new arrivals in the reception centre.
- IRC will conduct medical screening.
- JRS will provide counselling services.
- NCCK provide will provide shelter once the new arrivals leave the reception centre.
- LWF’s community services will support in the identification of UAMs and place them in foster care families.
- LWF will also work to identify and refer SGBV survivors.
The project will also work closely with the camp administrative structure in supporting the unaccompanied elderly and the refugee incentive staff in the implementation of the project’s activities.
- Coordination:
LWF is the main implementing partner for UNHCR in the camp and works in coordination and collaboration with other NGOs and government departments. LWF Kenya is an active member of the Kenya ACT forum.
- Communications:
LWF will provide regular updates throughout the response. Three pictures of the current situation (for this proposal) can be requested from the ACT secretariat.
- Planned Implementation Period:
The emergency project period will run from March to May 2012.
For the full document, please click here.
