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Alert
Uganda
Assistance to Congolese refugees in Rwamwanja Resettlement Site, Kamwenge District in Uganda
Geneva, Friday, 29 June 2012
1. Brief description of the emergency
After three years of relative peace, conflict has returned to North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) causing many Congolese to flee to neighbouring Uganda and Rwanda. On June 25, IRIN reported that there are more than 200,000 IDPs in North Kivu Province of DRC. This knowledge coupled with the International Crisis Group’s prediction of an eminent risk of an escalation of violence that could see more refugees pouring onto Uganda and Rwanda indicates that a significant portion of these 200,000 IDPs will soon enter Uganda. Already, the International Crisis Group estimated that nearly 20,000 Congolese refugees have crossed into Uganda since April. As such, a transit camp (Nykabande Transit Center) was established in the Ugandan border town of Kisoro where refugees are registered upon entry into Uganda and then later ferried, if they wish, to resettlement sites around the country. The main settlement is Rwamwanja in Kamwenge District. As the conflict is protracted and Congolese are losing hope in returning home, more and more Congolese refugees are opting to be resettled to Rwamanja Resettlement Site. The resettlement site has continued to receive more refugees and the services at the site are insufficient to meet the basic needs of this population. This has resulted to a dire humanitarian situation.
2. Impact
The settlement has already exceeded 13,000 refugees, with a further 6,000 in transit to the site. This number is more than the predicted maximum for the year, estimated at 10,000 refugees. Within the next several weeks the settlement is likely to reach 20,000 refugees.
On arrival the refugees are allocated land and receive a few supplies. The supplies are inadequate. Their shelters lack privacy, protection from the weather and sanitary facilities. They also lack tools for food production and clothing.
However, the most urgent needs in the camp are: water, sanitation and hygiene. On average one water source supports about 5,127 people, with an average of three (3) kilometres to the water sources. Congestion at the water points has caused tensions between the refugees and the host community. An additional 108 water sources are urgently needed.
3. National and international response
UNHCR and the Office of the Prime Minister have been the main actors in coordinating the response to the refugee crisis. UNHCR and OPM operate in both the transit center and settlement site while OPM is the direct implementing partner at the resettlement site. Other agencies involved include:
- Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement
- FIDA—staffing support at reception center and non-food items
- AHA—support health activities at reception center and HC III
- WFP through Samaritan’s Purse—food distribution
- MSF—water at reception center
- Ugandan Red Cross—staffing support
- ACT Alliance— Via LWF RRF Water and Sanitation
This list is constantly changing as new partners are coming in to support this response.
4. ACT Alliance response
ACT alliance Uganda forum through LWF, carried out an assessment from May 15th to May 17st, 2012. The forum prepared an RRF request to the ACT Alliance to respond to the immediate water / sanitation needs at the settlement site. As the RRF is currently being implemented to increase access to water in the settlement and improve sanitation practices in the settlement, ACT Alliance Uganda forum is foreseeing that water and sanitation is the most pressing issue in the settlement. The ACT Alliance-Uganda forum has endorsed and recommended LWF to prepare a full appeal to address the growing water and sanitation challenges within the settlement. With the first priority to address the current water and sanitation needs. After addressing this urgent humanitarian crisis, ACT Alliance is looking to bring in Church of Uganda, UJCC to do conflict mitigation between the refugee population and the nationals in the area.
5. Planned activities
LWF-Uganda will conduct a detailed needs assessment and coordinated with the other actors to ensure the Water & Sanitation need are met. From the assessment’s findings, a full proposal will be developed in collaboration with other stakeholders strictly identifying the urgent needs in water, sanitation and hygiene in the settlement. LWF-Uganda anticipates that the proposal will include the following activities:
- Engage water and sanitation technicians to implement activities
- Engage refugee incentive workers to implement activities at a community level
- Increase access to water through boreholes and/or shallow wells
- Increased access to water storage containers and knowledge of safe water chains
- Training of Water User Committees.
- Construction and/or promotion of construction of pit latrines, bathing structures at the homestead and public facilities
- Other hygiene promotion activities
- Conflict mitigation between refugee community and Host community in the area.
Any funding indication or pledge should be communicated to Jean-Daniel Birmele, ACT Chief Finance Officer (jbi@actalliance.org)
