Highlights
Bidibidi settlement, which is now the largest refugee settlement in Africa, is home to over 157,000 children from South Sudan who have arrived since the 2016 July crisis. Other new South Sudanese refugee arrivals are settled in Palorinya (148,381), Rhino (86,770), Imvepi (55,778) and Lamwo (5,738).
Cholera preparedness and response is expected to benefit from new Ministry of Health National guidelines for the prevention of Cholera and administration of the oral cholera vaccine (OCV).
Monthly health facility nutrition data in the Karamoja region continues to report a deteriorating nutrition status with increased admission of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) cases into Outpatient Therapeutic Centres (OTCs) and Inpatient Therapeutic Centres (ITCs) across the region.
Although rains have started across the country, several areas suffered from intermittent or scarce precipitations and remain under watch conditions in Karamoja, Acholi and the Western region.
UNICEF in collaboration with the Office of the Prime Minister’s Department for Refugees and Disaster Preparedness Departments and Ministry of Local Government conducted district level contingency risk informed planning training for 79 Trainers of Trainers in Fort Portal and West Nile. The training is aimed at integrating risk in District Development Plans and Budget Framework papers.
SITUATION IN NUMBERS
519,572 Refugee children (<18 years) from South Sudan (OPM and UNHCR reports as of 24 April 2017)
770,339 Refugee children and women from South Sudan (OPM and UNHCR as of 20 April 2017)
1,199,051 All refugees and asylum seekers (OPM and UNHCR as of 1 April 2017)
UNICEF Uganda Appeal 2017
US$ 52.87 million required
Funding Gap 87%
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
Refugees
The number of refugees coming to Uganda remained high across the border entry points with an average daily arrival of 2,159 South Sudanese refugees according to UNHCR and the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM). On 12 April 2017, OPM and UNHCR expanded the current hosting capacity with a new settlement in Lamwo district at Palabek with an estimated capacity of 30,000 refugees. This settlement is expected to host most of the refugees coming from the eastern part of South Sudan. By 23 April, a total of 5,738 refugees had been settled at Palabek. Since early April, the trend of new arrivals has changed drastically as OPM/ UNHCR have observed a larger than usual number of male youths among new refugees. OPM/UNHCR are currently carrying out biometric registration, which will provide detailed information on this new trend. The establishment of basic services such as water, shelter, health and nutrition care has been accelerated.
The Uganda Solidarity Summit on refugees and host communities has been confirmed by the Government of Uganda (GoU), and will commence with the arrival of UN Secretary General on 21 June 2017, and field visits on 22 June and ending with the actual Summit on 23 June. Preparations are intensifying across the Government and UN Country Team, with the OPM steering the organization with support from the Office of the UN Secretary General and the UN family in Uganda. UNICEF is participating in the preparatory meetings and is part of several committees, including the organization of field visit to refugee hosting districts and side-events on youth and girls.
WFP, OPM and UNHCR are planning to carry out a Refugee Household Vulnerability and Targeting study by end of August 2017. In the context of the protracted nature of the refugee situation in Uganda, it is a common belief that following a prolonged period of displacement not all refugees have the same needs for humanitarian assistance. In light of increasing global competition over funds it is envisaged that the Uganda refugee operation will receive less funding in the coming years. This study will assist in making decisions that are evidence-based and present a detailed analysis on the possibility of targeting for food assistance based on vulnerability and socioeconomic profiles.
Refugees and host communities food security and nutrition: According to the Food and Security Nutrition Assessment completed in January 2017, the GAM percentage in refugee camps indicates levels below the World Health Organisation “serious” level of 10 per cent for the majority of camps except for Rhino camp which is at 14.2 per cent and has received a large number of new arrivals. All of the camps show an improvement in their GAM rates (GAM rate of under 10 per cent with the exception of Rhino), particularly those in South Western Uganda.
Food Security in the general population Since November 2016, the effects of prolonged dry conditions combined with erratic rainfall has impacted on the general food security in Karamoja and the neighboring Teso region. In Teso, Busoga and East Central regions of Uganda where there are two rainy seasons in a year, poor households experienced two consecutive seasons of below average production. Household food stocks were depleted in January, four months earlier than normal. Many are engaged in casual labor opportunities and are selling additional livestock to fund food purchases, but face typically high food prices. Poor households are able to minimally meet their basic food needs, however they lack income to afford essential non-food needs and are under stress.
Although scarce and intermittent rains in Karamoja allowed pasture regeneration, thus attracting people across the Uganda-Kenya border in Kaabong, Amudat and Nakapiripirit, mostly close to water points.
On health service delivery, the dry condition for the pastoral communities has led to movement of population in search of food and water for their cattle. This has inevitably impacted on the need to expand the outreach sites with limited logistics, challenges in accessing children for immunization and follow up especially for HIV/AIDS programming. In Karamoja, in schools where food is served for lunch to pupils, there is a significant disruption of teaching activities, especially for primary one and two classes. In fact, these classes are attended by underage children who come to school on daily basis in order to eat with their siblings who are officially enrolled in those classes.