#Kiryandongo Refugee Camp

[littlenaughtygarden]

Help Sudanese Refugees Facing Hunger in Uganda

Youth Smile Initiative, a registered NGO in Uganda, is raising funds to provide food boxes to Sudanese refugees in the Kiryandongo camp.

As of today (September 18, 2024), YSI has raised $615 of its $20,000 goal. If you have the means, please donate to their fundraiser. If you can't donate, please share this widely!

Free Sudan🇸🇩🌺

[theankoletimes]

UNHCR Sounds Alarm Over Soaring Suicide Rates at Kiryandongo Refugee Camp

A silent but alarming crisis is unfolding at the Kiryandongo Refugee Camp in Kiryandongo District, Western Uganda. The worsening mental health of refugees, exacerbated by harsh living conditions and past traumas, has led to a troubling rise in suicides. According to a United Nations survey, 41 suicides were recorded between January and October 2024, along with over 130 suicide attempts. Soumaya…

[thinkhumanity]

Food Relief Program COVID-19

Food Relief Program COVID-19

We have been raising donations to help families in Uganda during this difficult time. So far we have been able to help 86 families from different areas. We have been to three refugee camps and one IDP Camp. We have delivered food in four districts and will continue as long as we can. Depending on the family, we have given some 20 kilograms of each; rice, beans and maize flour and others 10…

[bigeyeug]

How MTN marathon proceeds have improved life for Bududa landslide survivors

How MTN marathon proceeds have improved life for Bududa landslide survivors

By Our Reporter Prior to 2010, it was survival for the fittest to access water from a borehole in Kiryandongo district where over 2000 people relied on only 2 functional boreholes. Kiryandongo district which houses survivors of the Bududa landslides in Mbale is also the host community for refugees in the refugee resettlement camp. As Julius Weleka, the chairman LC 1, Panyadoli A village as well…

[fpvoices]

Angela Barbra Ariko, Health Team Leader, International Rescue Committee*

Kiryandongo, Uganda

I feel like my main contribution in this work is to save a mother’s life. Irrespective of their situation, I have to provide services, get the message out, and serve as a comforting shoulder. Beyond the work, I sit down and talk to them. People here are in bad situations. They want to talk and seek guidance. I work with a passion. This is about my community, which is also my family….

Women are not able to make good decisions because they link back these choices to men in their lives, who are not aware of the situation. The woman is the one tied up with children, so, with family planning, they benefit directly. It gives women informed choice to have children when ready. It gives them a child that is expected who will be received with love and excitement.

What’s unique about working in this camp is that the community volunteers too. We’ve won their trust. If the IRC leaves Kiryandango, all reproductive health services will disappear. It lies in the hands of the IRC. Mothers have nothing else.

Photographer: Rita Nehme

Interviewer: Rita Nehme

*As the health team leader, Angela provides technical supervision and guidance for IRC health projects in the Kiryandango settlement, which hosts more than 65,000 refugees from Kenya, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan.

[maureensigliano-blog]

DAY 9 (January 17th, 2017)

Kyriandongo Camp is a vast stretch of land (over 100 square kilometers). It is arid, windy and extremely dusty. Everything and everyone is constantly covered by a film of red dust… Throats are constantly parched. Eyes are strained. And skin is dry yet sticky at all times.

This is where 64K people, mostly under the age of 18, are seeking refuge from the horrors of war, tribal conflicts and natural disasters. 37K of them are from South Sudan. The others are mostly from Congo, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda. Yes, Ugandan refugees in Uganda. The latter were moved here after entire villages were wiped out by the flash ‘Baduda mud slides’ in 2012…

Here each family is given a small plot of land once ‘the refugee arrival process’ is completed (medical & administrative formalities). Plus very basic building materials. And then, lives are supposed to go on…

This is also where WPDI (a wonderful NGO headed by American actor & producer Forest Whitaker) is building a new operation to: > unite the community (peace) > inspire the local youth and deliver key practical skills required to participate in the local & global economies… (development)

Western Union, the unique company I work for, is the very proud funder of WPDI’s budding programs on Kiryandongo.

Benson & I spent most of today on this 'Camp’…getting to know the professional yet profoundly warm WPDI Team…understanding how the community live their daily life…and engaging with the passionate residents who dream of moving on with their lives despite pain and challenges.

- We visited a tiny brick warehouse on the corner of a busy road intersection just outside the Camp. This is where a group of local young men have set up a little business applying the entrepreneurship skills that they learned from WPDI. They explained how they buy small quantities of all types of grains from isolated farmers and then resell it all, in bulk, for a profit, to business-savvy travelers going back to Kampala… They eagerly showed us their hand written and very detailed accounting entries: 'Our products are good. Our location is good. Our prices are good. We have even learned how to manage our supply & demand. So we are very proud to call ourselves a successful business.’ This 'start-up’ is very appropriately named Focus Ahead…

- We watched young women and children line up for water at the wells which are sparsely scattered across the Camp. Each patiently waiting to fill numerous large yellow plastic containers with H2O. Water has a different value in this place. It is vital for humans & crops, yet difficult to access in the required quantities despite frugality. Therefore, water is one of the sources of frustration within this community. Later in the day, we heard from the 'Elders’ and from the 'Camp Commander’ that it is while waiting at the wells that old tribal wounds often flare up…

- we participated in a 'townhall meeting’ with local youth (only one girl amongst all the young men) and a few 'Elders’. It was organized by WPDI to capture the voice of the community it will support…The intense exchanges that took place during the meeting were direct and absolutely captivating. This is what we heard:

'Even though many of us have never known Peace and we don’t fully understand what it means, we dream of it… But we need your help to to show us the way, to teach us techniques, to share stories of people who have been successful at leaving behind the tribal divides that have destroyed our families. Our generation needs to know how to do things differently and move on.’

´Do you think youth means just boys? Look at us, we are almost all male here. It is not right. The needs of the girls in our community need to be represented by them… One day they will be our wives and the mothers of our children, it’s important that they be empowered to grow too. Our sisters want to join but unfortunately they can’t. Our parents don’t allow them to come because of our cultures. And if they do, they may be beaten by them… We really need your help to explain to our parents your objectives, what you can do for us, and why it’s important that our community’s girls be here too. Please find ways to include our parents and our girls in your initiatives…´

'Why don’t the churches, the mosques, the NGOs and the community leaders work all together? Messages and initiatives sometimes seem fragmented. Which means they are not as impactful as they could be. We love your programs and want you to be as successful as possible. We need you. So please avoid silos and partner with the other members of our community as you move forward…’

- Peace is good but we also need progress. Most of us had to stop our education at the end of elementary school because there is only one middle school here on Kiryandongo. And it is very crowded & difficult to access. We know that education is the key to unlock our future and to sustain peace. We have dreams but we really need help to acquire the know-how, skills and bridges required to make them come true. We will gladly build a new school with our own hands if necessary. We will apply for university scholarships. But please guide us and mentor us.’

'We know that in every problem there is also an opportunity. We know that the desire to move forward has to come from within us. But life here is hard. The basics are missing. So please tell the world that any little support can make a world of a difference here…’

I listened - almost mesmerized - by their strength and their wisdom.

I could not stop the tears from streaming down my face as I thought about how easy my life is. And how cruel theirs have been. Yet I was struck by the unimaginable & beautiful power of their youth…& of their hope. ❤️🌈❤️

The wonderful young people who I met in Kiryandongo & Kyangwali Camps know what they want. They also know exactly what it will take .

I can’t help but believe that they may become the future leaders who will finally bring peace & stability to Africa. And to this crazy but wonderful world…

They need - and so deserve - our heartfelt support and that of transformational organizations like WPDI & CIYOTA.

If you are interested in supporting them through the work of CIYOTA and/or WPDI please let me know.

❤️

[amnonjakony]

Girl pregnancy led to a communal fight among South Sudanese in Refugee camp in Uganda leaving two dead

Girl pregnancy led to a communal fight among South Sudanese in Refugee camp in Uganda leaving two dead

Fighting erupted on Friday date 15th May 2020 between the South Sudanese Refugees living in Bweyale Camp, Kiryandongo District, Uganda.

The fighting between the Nuer communities, Nuer Leer and Nuer Koch of Unity State allegedly erupted after a young man from Leer impregnated a young lady from Koch.

Number of youth have sustained injuries from machetes, sticks, pangas and spears.

Uganda Police…

[rightsinexile]

The Illegal Economy of Refugee Registration: Insights into the Ugandan Refugee Scandal #PublicAuthority

The following short piece was originally published by Charles Ogeno and Ryan Joseph O’Byrne via the Africa at LSE blog portal. It is reprinted here with permission.

This article is part of the #PublicAuthority blog series, part of the ESRC-funded Centre for Public Authority and International Development.

In early April 2017, we received reports that the South Sudanese town of Pajok, 25km north of Ugandan border, had been attacked. The following day, Charles’ friend Celcio gave him some details about what had happened.

“For the last few years the government neglected us and we have been in the hands of rebels. Now the government has launched an assault on Pajok in order to take it back from the rebels.” He felt the gross injustice of this: “It is not a big deal for us if Pajok is with government or rebels so long as they protect civilians.” The rebels had harassed and forcibly conscripted civilians. The Government on the other hand had committed a massacre. In a later conversation with Charles’ cousin Anek, she said “the government came and attacked the community, destroyed our properties, our loved ones have been killed. Women have been raped… [and] when they find a man, they kill straight away.”After the attack, many people fled to Uganda, arriving at the border town of Ngomoromo. Another cousin, Ayari, praised the Uganda People Defence Forces (UPDF) for their understanding and fair treatment. She said: “the UPDF speaks well with us; they know how to handle civilians”.

As Western countries make it increasingly hard for refugees to cross their borders, Uganda has become well-regarded for its inclusive refugee policies. Once registered, refugees are given land for settlement and cultivation. They have freedom of movement throughout the country and are allowed to work, meaning they can earn a legitimate income.

There have been many reports about Ugandans’ warm welcome for South Sudanese fleeing violence, which may result from memories of being refugees themselves. Furthermore, refugee resettlement opens up new economic opportunities: when you compare Bweyale, the town closest to Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, with Kiryandongo Town, the District Headquarters, there is a huge difference. The refugee settlement provides a ready market, making Bweyale a bustling centre with numerous economic activities. Kiryandongo on the other hand is less busy with relatively little economic activity.

Although refugees are welcomed because of the economic opportunities, infrastructure, and services provided to areas where they resettle, the amount of support they receive can generate envy, a feeling heightened by what is considered as inequality in resource distribution. With the conflict in South Sudan showing no signs of concluding, the high influx of refugees over the last two years has shifted the attitudes of locals who not only see refugees as having privileged access to food and land but feeling that the long-term costs of hosting refugees may outweigh any short term benefits.

It is within this context that the current Ugandan refugee scandal takes place: officials of the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) as well as the UN are charged with numerous illegal or immoral accusations, including: suspicions of inflating refugee numbers so staff can pocket extra money and other resources; a widespread abuse of food, funds, and other resources destined for refugee settlements; and the ‘trafficking’ of female refugees into undesired ‘marriages’.

Such accounts are not new, and a number of Ugandans have been trying to register as South Sudanese refugees since at least early 2017. Charles discovered evidence of this himself when talking to some young Ugandans in a Kiryandongo bar in February 2017, and Okongo (28) and Ojeke (26) both said they and others were looking for ways to get the money needed to register as refugees and enable their resettlement in the West. Indeed, even in late 2016 we had heard rumours from our connections among South Sudanese in Uganda that refugee registration had become substantially and prohibitively monetarised. These accounts not only spoke of Ugandans trying to buy themselves refugee status – a transaction said to require approximately 500,000 Ugandan schillings (USD $140 or GBP £100) – but narrated that Ugandan government workers and UNHCR staff in some of the larger camps were routinely blackmailing refugees desperate to register. As the following examples from Bweyale in early 2017 show, at Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, at least, such practices had become increasingly standard:

One woman explained that “Registration is a very difficult exercise for us. At reception, they asked for money from us in order to register. My registration form was thrown away because I had no money to bribe the registrar. I was told I would have to re-register – I regretted coming here”.

A 36-year-old man who heads an extended family of 20 children (comprising eight biological children and 12 orphans) was asked how and when he registered as a refugee. He said “I am not a registered refugee because to register I was asked to pay over UGX 1,000,000 as bribe to the registrars (USD $275 or GBP £195). I am struggling even to get food for these children, how can I get UGX 1,000,000 to bribe the registrar? And even if you bribe, you will not receive relief like the food ration. I know a family which paid UGX 350,000 (USD $95 or GBP £70) for only four family members but they are not even receiving relief services, so they are struggling to find something to eat just like us. So, if there is no relief, I see no reason to call myself a refugee. The UN should respect our rights! I took refuge here not because I wanted to but conditions in my country forced me”.

Because of these and similar activities, there are now refugees living in some settlements without legal refugee status. Some leave one settlement with the intention of reuniting with family in another, but this runs the risk of having their refugee status withdrawn on arrival at the second settlement and being told to return to the border to re-register, which is difficult and expensive. Worse yet are those previously-registered refugees who have had their registration documentation purposefully destroyed or removed, a seemingly not-uncommon practice when a poverty-stricken refugee family is unable to pay the money demanded from them.

These and similar stories demonstrate the veracity and significance of one of CPAID’s guiding principles: that public authority in fragile contexts does not always function solely via official or normative means, but rather involves multiple actors and institutions – both formal and informal – operating under their own logics and mechanisms concurrently with or alternate to more official channels. In the case of the current Ugandan refugee scandal, the same public authority institutions formally employed to promote human rights, good governance, and social justice are also those engaged in opportunistic social and economic exploitation, no matter how unofficially. Thus, in public authority situations such as this, we not only see how formal and informal mechanisms of governance can both play out through multiple alternate channels at the same time, but also how these varying governance forms can involve the same actors engaging in competing strategies simultaneously.

Given such a situation, the problem must be stated clearly:

Asking for money to enable refugee registration amounts to an illegal bribe which not only violates UNHCR best practice but should be seen as a human rights abuse.

We say this because the Geneva Convention not only emphasises that refugees have good reason to seek security, but further stipulates they should not be penalised for entering a country. Therefore, asking for money to register a refugee not only penalises that refugee – many of whom flee their country of origin with no money or goods – but also undermines international refugee law. Moreover, having inaccurate data makes refugee-related planning and operation extremely difficult for both UNHCR and the Ugandan government, further exacerbating the very problems which underlie the current Ugandan refugee scandal. For example, case studies like those above make it very difficult to accept Uganda’s refugee population figure, a major factor in donors’ calls for investigation into the Ugandan refugee situation. The fact is, many people can manipulate the registration process for their own benefit. In Uganda, however, it seems that despite negative discourses to the contrary, in Uganda it seems that it is humanitarian and government workers rather than refugees who are most grossly manipulating the registration process for their own enrichment. In doing so, they have not only breached their legal and ethical mandates to ensure refugee’s security and protection; they have also negatively impacted the views, opinions, and charity of donors and the international community, likely exacerbating the difficulties and tensions involved in managing the global refugee crisis.

[jjumbamartin]

40 year old Nyakat Chatim Martha is one of the occupants of Kiryandongo refugee settlement. As a…

40 year old Nyakat Chatim Martha is one of the occupants of Kiryandongo refugee settlement. As a group mobiliser for cluster B, she says that they feel secure for now to the extent that one can sleep with the house-door open. ‘I rushed from Sudan with nothing, but my 5 children. The war had intensified more than we expected. Life is not very easy here, but we are trying our best to make it happen.…

[maureensigliano-blog]

DAY 8 (16th January 2017)

Benson & I left early this morning for a city called Gulu in the North of Uganda which lies 45 minutes from the South Sudan border. The road we took was once an extremely busy one - due to the significant trade between the 2 countries. But today due to the conflicts in Sudan the road is now much less travelled. We were thus alone for long stretches of the two-lane, long & straight road.

When we initially left Kampala, we crossed Kawempe, a bustling ‘industrial area’, where there were a multitude of small factories and businesses owned primarily by the Indian community of Uganda. A very entrepreneurial community that was persecuted & expelled by Idi Amin in the 1960s. But who returned in the late 80s and once again runs successful businesses across the country. Today they make ‘garments’, produce beer, process & package tea, rice and cotton plus much more. They are a key part of the Ugandan society & economy.

As we drove further and further north the temperature crept up…the landscape became increasingly arid…the roadside villages became increasingly sparse…and the lush vegetation and plantations were replaced by small bushes and majestuous cactuses.

Life appeared to gradually slow down. And an incessant dusty breeze hushed all worldly sounds….

Then, 70 kms before Gulu, the arid land temporarily regained its fertility. We were approaching the Victorian Nile River (I did not know that the Nile originates from Lake Victoria!), and at one point we slowed down to admire some rocky waterfalls… Suddenly, we were ‘ambushed’ by a small family of curious baboons! They had somehow spotted the ripe mangoes sitting in the front seat of our car and clearly wanted the bounty…! 🙂

We finally reached the sprawling and very colourful town of Gulu. The area’s recent painful history has left many scars including deep tribal tensions and broad addiction especially among the youth…And the already complex local reality is exacerbated by a growing influx of ‘refugees’ mainly from South Sudan. But also from Rwanda, Burundi and Congo DRC.

Gulu is where WPDI runs one of it’s very dynamic youth programs focused on entrepreneurship, vocational skill building and peace development. They have another similar operation on Kiryandongo Refugee Camp about 2 hours away….

This is why Benson & I have come here. We hope to learn, identify meaningful synergies and share best practices. Within minutes of meeting the very welcoming local WPDI Team, we knew our journey had not been in vain….

❤️

[rightsinexile]

Letter to the editors: Refugee and host community youth showcase acquired film making skills

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

We are delighted to share with you "The Future", a 9-minutes film collectively produced by a group of 19 youth from the refugee and host community of Palabek-Ogil refugee settlement in Lamwo district, northern Uganda. This was the first group to attend RLP's 2-weeks boot camp training in basic video advocacy that took place in Kitgum from 5th - 17th February 2018.

The film highlights the role refugees can play in using video to document their life stories while in Uganda; stories that they can share with the global audience but also store for future reference when they return to their countries or are resettled to third countries.

With the basic filmmaking skills acquired in the boot camp, the group creatively weaved a story on the importance of the National Memory and Peace Documentation Center (NMPDC) in Kitgum as a repository of materials that can be used for conflict resolution and national reconciliation.

With funding support from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, RLP will conduct similar boot camps targeting youth from the refugee and host communities in selected refugee settlements in Adjumani, Kiryandongo and Lamwo districts.

For more information, please contact us at info@refugeelawproject.org

or visit our website at www.refugeelawproject.org. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Whatsapp (+256-776897057).

Regards,

Moses A. Nsubuga

Ag. Programme Manager - Media for Social Change

Refugee Law Project

+256-414-343556

Toll Free 0800-100555