Highlights
According to reports from the Government of Uganda’s Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), a total of 17,645 refugees have been received in Uganda since November 2014 and 49 per cent of them are children under the age of 18 years. The period 18th to 24th December, 2015 saw the entry of 464 new refugees.
27 solar suitcases were installed in 26 health facilities providing more reliable lighting in the maternity wards and delivery rooms in Isingiro District, which is hosting Burundi Refugees. Five suitcases were installed in 4 health units located in the Refugee settlement, strengthening safe delivery capacities.
A 13 kilometer water extension to five villages (that were receiving less water than the minimum sphere standard of 15 litres per person per day) has been completed, increasing access to safe water (17 litres per person per day) for all children in these communities.
240 Village Health Team (VHTs) workers received training and have been deployed, and are actively conducting community-based nutrition screening, sensitization and timely referrals of moderately and severely malnourished children.
Over 1,606 (677 males; 929 females) malnourished children have been screened; 24 children below 5 years were treated for severe malnutrition; 14 were discharged while 8 dropped out of therapy. For both the Burundi Refugees and neighboring host communities, 360 children received vitamin A and deworming tables and 782 pregnant women provided with folic acid.
SITUATION IN NUMBERS
Date: December 30, 2015
Burundian Refugees in Uganda
17,645
# of Burundians in Uganda since November 2014 (OPM, 2015)
8,646
# of children under the age of 18 (OPM, 2015) 12,880 # of women and children affected (OPM, 2015)
Funding Requirements
US$2.9 million
Funding Gap
61%
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
Reports from the Government of Uganda’s Office of the Prime Minister indicate an increase of daily new arrivals of Burundian refugees. As of 16 Dec, 2015, a total of 17,645 refugees have arrived in Uganda since November 2014, with the majority (13,645) settled in Nakivale, and others settled in Kyaka (292), Oruchinga (11,208), Kinsoro (98) and in Kampala (3,843). The arrival trend is increasing with the majority of refugees arriving into Uganda through Mirama Hills, Kashenyi Police post, Mutukula Kagitumba and Kikagate border points from Bujumbura, Muyinga, Kirundo, Kibitoke and Bubanza Provinces. The majority of these people have cited heightened insecurity and fears of attacks from armed groups in Burundi, as well as family reunion as reasons for fleeing. More refugees are expected to arrive as the reported insecurity in Burundi continues.
At Kabazana Reception Centre, UNHCR, OPM and ARC conducted the weekly joint physical headcount to establish the number of residents. A total of 541 individuals, of which 382 are Burundians, are currently residing at the centre. This is a slight increase from last week’s 512 individuals.
As the steady influx of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo continue to increase in Nakivale; pressure is being placed on services at the settlement shared by the vast majority of Burundians. There has been an increased influx of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo in recent months, with 1,639 arriving in November alone, at an average of 55 individuals daily, from Bunagana, Nteko and Kyeshero.
The El Nino weather phenomenon forecasted (between October 2015 and February 2016) higher than usual rainfalls in large areas of Uganda; and there is risk of strong wind gusts affecting shelters. Initial assessment of flood-risk areas in refugee settlements suggested higher risk in the Nakivale, Kyaka, Rwamanja settlements. Mitigation measures recommended include relocation of refugees from flood-prone areas and the delivery of shelter items for roof repairs.
According to UNHCR reports, in education, there is a high ratio of children to care givers (one teacher to 123 children) at the early childhood development centre which is affecting the quality of learning and teaching. This ratio falls significantly short of the recommended government standard of one teacher to 25 children. The children are not grouped according to age, but are mixed, which makes learning slower for some of them owing to limited structures and teachers. There is also no feeding arrangement for children under ECD programmes, hence causing children to report late and leave early because there is no means of relieving their hunger. Parents have been encouraged to contribute to children’s feeding during the school period, but this has not been successful. Windle Trust Uganda is continuing with community sensitization for parents to contribute towards feeding of their children. Another gap is inadequate desks, especially in the existing primary schools of Nakivale, Kabazana, Kashojwa and Nyarugugu, where ECD programmes have been established. Schools and ECD centres remain on break until the end the February 2016 Presidential elections.
There is need to erect temporary structures in all Burundian refugee villages to support health outreach programmes and to reduce the distance people have to travel in order to access health care services. In Nakivale Health Centre, there is a need to recruit two midwives to support reproductive health and counseling, as well as a need for a restocking of testing kits to support antenatal mothers.