Responding to a refugee crisis in northern Uganda - April 2018

A total of 728,000 people in northern Uganda were reached through World Vision's response to the refugee crisis in April 2018. 

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS:

• 381,000 children reached through various response activities
• 687,000 refugees received food assistance distributed by World Vision, in partnership with the World Food Programme
• 31,000 people were able to access clean water, sanitation and hygiene services
• 69,000 children and adults received support to be safe in their communities
• 24,000 refugees and host community members received support to improve their agriculture and income generation skills

Still, there is more work to do. 

KEY CONCERNS: 

New refugees arriving: Uganda continues to receive new arrivals from South Sudan - on average 100+ people are being received daily. Children constitute 61 per cent of the refugees. The ongoing active conflict in South Sudan causes the continued influx.

Limited funding to serve the needs: More than 1.3 Million South Sudanese are displaced in Uganda, the majority due to the ongoing conflict in South Sudan. The Ugandan government has kept its borders open despite severe funding shortfall. In 2018, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Fillipo Grandi launched a new funding appeal for US$1.5 billion to support refugees fleeing the worsening humanitarian situation in South Sudan.

Youth unemployment: The potential of refugee youth aged 14-24 remained largely untapped and is frequently overlooked. They are often unable to participate in decision making or harness their talents and energy. More inclusive approaches are needed for all activities targeting the youth.

Large-scale, long-term lifesaving assistance is needed to ensure refugees are able to best integrate into their new communities. World Vision is appealing for an additional $7 million to expand its humanitarian response and reach more people in northern Uganda.

For more information about World Vision's response achievements, locations and other details, please download (pdf) our April 2018 Situation Report.