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Appeal
Uganda
Support to Congolese Refugees – UGA121
Appeal Target: US$ 355,941
Balance Requested: US$ 258,661
Geneva, 23 July 2012
Refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are fleeing to Uganda at an ever-increasing pace. The Lutheran World Federation/Department for World Service (LWF/DWS) has requested RRF funds from the ACT Secretariat at the end of May 2012, when the refugee population was estimated to reach 10,000. This number proved to be a drastic underestimation, and the number of refugees in the Rwamwanja resettlement site was over 16,000 on July 17. In addition to those currently settled in Rwamwanja, 11,300 refugees are currently being processed Nykabande transit camp and await transport to Rwamwanja.
Conflict in the North Kivu province of the DRC erupted in late April of 2012, and continues to escalate. The M23 rebel group has violently taken over a number of cities in the DRC, endangering the lives of many civilians. On July 11, The New York Times reported that the Ugandan government was “overstretched” by Congolese refugees and was calling for an emergency meeting on the crisis situation.
Services at the site are even more stretched than at the time of the last update, with refugees getting less than 5 litres of water per person per day, on average. Most refugees do not have adequate sanitation facilities, and many must travel very far to find clean water sources. In light of these developments, LWF, an ACT Alliance member, is hard at work on increasing access to water and the availability of sanitation supplies. In the initial RRF, LWF drilled four boreholes, two of which are already operational. LWF has also distributed 360 supply sets for digging safe latrines, and refugees are in the process of creating their latrines.
The U.N. warned on July 10 that the M23 rebel group is stronger than previously thought, and alleges that other governments are supplying it, allowing it to grow even fiercer. In light of these developments, the existing settlement sites will only grow in population. As the conflict rages on, water and sanitation will continue to be a top priority. This appeal has already drawn interest from related agencies and the ACT Alliance has received firm pledges of almost 100,000 USD. However, we hope that this appeal will attract additional funding to support Congolese refugees in Uganda.
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