06 Jun Uganda Refugee News July 2021
Welcome to Edition 19
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the disparity in the vaccination roll outs around the world, and the knock on effects, is stark.
The impact is both as a result of the disease and well as the related lockdowns and whilst we have all had to make extreme changes, its acknowledged that the “[s]ocioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 are disproportionately high for the forcibly displaced.” This is exemplified extensively in this month's newsletter but no more sadly than the terrible and wholly unacceptable news that 10 Somali refugees have died of starvation in Kampala.
On a more positive note, COVID has also forced many of us to be more innovative, finding new, often more efficient, ways of working, something that hopefully will be the positive legacy of this pandemic.
I hope this newsletter continues to be is use and please share it with anyone you think might be interested and they can sign up to receive it directly by clicking ,here
Sector specific:
Education:
New – Teacher Professional Development & Play-based Learning in East Africa: Strengthening Research, Policy, and Practice in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda
European Journal of Education and Pedagogy – Obstacles to Education of the Children of Refugees and IDP: Lessons and Policy Options from the European Union's ‘Education for Life' Project in Uganda and South Sudan
FCA –
Business and Technical Vocational Education Training provides opportunities for a brighter future in Ugandan refugee settlements
Education Programme Launched to Support Children in Refugee and Host Communities In Uganda
Using a community-based system dynamics approach for understanding inclusion and wellbeing: a case study of special needs education in an eastern African refugee camp –
Childhood education – (paid for content) – A Sustainable Start for the Youngest Congolese Refugees in Uganda
Opportunity EduFinance – Can refugee communitiunfes benefit from education financing?
Health:
NEW – FMR – The impact of COVID-19 on older refugees
NEW – UNFPA – Thanks to family planning, refugee women are having babies by choice, not chance
NEW – The socioeconomic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on forcibly displaced persons
ACTED/REACH/UNHCR – Uganda – Rapid Briefing Note: Impact of the COVID-19 resurgence in refugee-hosting districts, July 2021
BMJ Sexually Transmitted Infections – Contextual approaches to understanding HIV testing and prevention engagement among urban refugee adolescents and youth in Kampala, Uganda – Participant narratives reflected material, symbolic and relational contexts that shaped HIV testing awareness, preferences and uptake. Material contextual factors that presented barriers to HIV testing and prevention engagement included: transportation costs to clinics, overcrowded living conditions that limited access to private spaces, low literacy, and language barriers. Symbolic contexts that constrained HIV testing engagement included medical mistrust of HIV testing, and inequitable gender norms. Religion emerged as an opportunity to connect with refugee communities and to address conservative religious positions on HIV and sexual health. Relational contexts connected with HIV prevention and testing engagement included linkages with professional support, family, friends, and intimate partners. Many participants suggested the need for mental health support alongside HIV care, particularly for HIV testing.
Conflict and Health – Prevalence and risk factors for hypertension and diabetes among those screened in a refugee settlement in Uganda – this research found that hypertension was common and diabetes was uncommon among those screened in a Ugandan refugee settlement. Routine blood pressure screening should be considered in this setting. Additional research could develop diabetes screening criteria to help identify at risk individuals in this limited resource setting.
Health Policy Watch – Living Conditions of Refugees in Uganda May Become ‘Untenable', Warns Food Aid Head
IoM/WFP – Life amidst a Pandemic: Hunger, Migration and Displacement in the East and Horn of Africa – June 2021
UNHCR –
Uganda Refugee Settlements: COVID-19 Update As of 13 July 2021
East and Horn of Africa, and the Great Lakes – COVID-19 Emergency Response, External Update #31
WFP – Sweden and Germany support refugees in Uganda amid COVID-19 surge
World Bank – COVID-19 socioeconomic impact worsens for refugees in Uganda
,Refugees in Uganda hit by COVID-19 restrictions
Livelihoods
DRC/DANIDA/NURI/GoU – DRC Updates on RI and WRM Livelihoods Meeting
IRC- Rebuilding livelihoods for 20,000 refugees in East Africa
IWMI – Building refugee resilience in East Africa through reusing resources
NURI/DANIDA – NURI presentation LRSWG Meeting – 22 June 2021
RSC – Refugee Economies Programme: Activities and Impact 2016-2021
UNHCR –
Livelihoods and Resilience Sector WG – Q2 202 Reporting update, 21 July 2021, Kampala
Livelihoods and Resilience Sector WG Coordination Ms. Teams Meeting, 21 July 2021
East and Horn of Africa and Great Lakes – Stepped-up Livelihoods Strategic Directions 2021-2025
Protection
NEW – “What is peaceful about living on one meal a day?”: Marie fled war in search of safety
AA.com – 10 Somali refugees fall prey to starvation, COVID-19in 2 weeks – Somali Community Association in Uganda says helping vulnerable refugees difficult due to pandemic lockdown
Global Womens Institute –
Empowered Aid: Participatory action research with refugee women & girls to better prevent sexual exploitation & abuse
Uganda Country Report
Uganda Policy Brief
Uganda COVID-19 Brief
Empowered Aid Uganda sector brief: SEA in relation to Food Aid
Empowered Aid Uganda sector brief: SEA in relation to WASH Assistance
Empowered Aid Uganda sector brief: SEA in relation to Shelter Assistance
Empowered Aid Uganda sector brief: SEA in relation to Fuel & Firewood Assistance
LSE – A poisoning in Palabek: the fragility of public authority in Palabek refugee settlement Uganda
Risk, Identity and Conflict (paid for content) –
Why GBV Survivors Cannot Seek Help: The Case of South Sudanese Refugees in Uganda – This paper explores how South Sudanese refugees in six refugee settlement areas in Uganda recognized GBV including their help-seeking pathways and identified what constitutes their decision to seek help/not seek help for themselves and even for others. The study confirmed that after residing in the settlement for several years, refugees' GBV concerns are mainly domestic violence between partners rather than sexual violence committed by strangers. Their existing socio-cultural norms, the current referral mechanisms for help seeking within the refugee communities, and low expectation of outside services are barriers to refugees' GBV help seeking. The paper recommended two forms for support: the support for social transformation on the existing gender norms within refugee communities, and the provision of material resources and capacity building for service providers in host-communities.
Negotiating the Gender-Based Violence Referral Pathway: Challenges and Opportunities in the Refugee Hosting Areas of Uganda – Based on a desk review of available literature, together with insights from previous field visits, this paper explores help-seeking strategies survivors adopt, forms of negotiations along the GBV referral pathway and reasons why survivors may choose either implicit or explicit forms of bargaining when seeking help.
Women Peace and Security: Sexual Gender-Based Violence Survivor Support in Refugee Settlements in Uganda – This paper is an attempt to identify the extent of which international gender norms have been materialized and implemented. The papers confirms the presence of support gaps and reiterates the need for further gender mainstreaming in both humanitarian aid and governmental policies and the role of humanitarian aid in the process.
WASH
Journal of International Humanitarian Action – ,Towards attaining the recommended Humanitarian Sphere Standards of sanitation in Bidibidi refugee camp found in Yumbe District, Uganda – This research implies that the sanitation facilities in Bidibidi need to be redesigned and improved especially the pit latrines and the solid waste disposal facilities in order to meet the minimum Humanitarian Sphere Standards. Also, there should be more provision of taps with flowing water in the camp for effective washing practices to minimize the spread of sanitation-related disease.
Other:
CBN – South Sudanese Returnees struggling to start lives from scratch
Daily Monitor – Somali refugees find solace in futsal, hope to pursue big dreams
ECHO – Uganda – Forced displacement (DG ECHO, UNHCR) (ECHO Daily Flash of 05 July 2021)
Brass for Africa to help tap creative energy in Uganda – An Anglo/German partnership between Brass for Africa and Music Connects aims to help refugees reach out with their creative talents.
Satellite-Based Human Settlement Datasets Inadequately Detect Refugee Settlements: A Critical Assessment of Area, Accuracy and Agreement at Thirty Refugee Settlements in Uganda
FEWS-Net –
Uganda Food Security Outlook, June 2021 to January 2022
Uganda Price Bulletin, July 2021
GoU – Uganda Refugees & Asylum Seekers as of 30/June/2021
GoU/UNHCR
Refugee Statistics Dashboard June 2021
Refugees and Asylum-Seekers in Uganda (30 June 2021)
Uganda – Refugee Statistics June 2021 – Rwamwanja, Lobule, Palabek, Kiryandongo, Rhino, Palorinya, Nakivale, Kyangwali, Imvepi, Bidi Bidi, Adjumani, Oruchinga, Kyaka II, Kampala
ILO –
• The ILO holds a virtual validation workshop todiscuss the report on informality in refugee settlements and host communities in Nakivale and Rhino Camp, Uganda
• NEW – The ILO launches recovery grants for refugee and host community-owned businesses – To contribute to the recovery of COVID-affected businesses, the ILO has launched a small business grant scheme, targeting 200 enterprises owned by refugees and host community members in Rhino Camp, West Nile, and Nakivale in Isingiro District in Western Uganda.
IoM – Making Uganda's Porous Borders Safer
IPC – Uganda (Refugees) IPC Acute Malnutrition Analysis, November 2020 – September 2021 (issued July 2021)
Novo Nordisk Foundation supports 15 projects to respond to global humanitarian emergencies – including two in Uganda – CARE Denmark – Project title: CAMP+: Creating the World's Most Sustainable Refugee Settlement (Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo) – Grant amount: DKK 2 million and Caritas Denmark – Project title: Testing a Sustainable Model for Safe Water Access (Uganda) – Grant amount: DKK 1.6 million
REACH/WFP –
Uganda: Market Monitor – Refugee Hosting Areas | Refugee Settlement Price and Market Functionality Snapshot, 1-31 May 2021
Uganda Refugee Settlement Price and Market Functionality Snapshot, 1-31 May 2021
Refugee History – The political history of Uganda's refugee policies
U-Learn – Refugee Engagement Forum in Uganda – Good Practice Study Brief – A two page summary of the Refugee Engagement Forum (REF) Good Practice study.
USAID/WFP – Uganda: USAID-WFP Market Monitor Price Table May 2021
UNHCR
Uganda: 2021 Funding Update as of 13 July 2021, as of 21 July 2021
Regional Bureau for East And Horn of Africa, and the Great Lakes Region – Refugees and Asylum-Seekers by country of asylum (as of 31 May 2021)
East and Horn of Africa, and the Great Lakes Region Operational Update April – June 2021
RRP Planning Update FINAL July 2021
Sector Log Frames – 2020-2021 RRP Performance Tracking
University of Cambridge – Ugandan and British individuals' views o refugees in their countries: An exploratory mixed‐methods comparison – Using an exploratory mixed‐methods approach, this paper examined thoughts concerning refugees reported by participants from Uganda, and the United Kingdom. It explores whether, due to various sociocultural, political and geographic differences, critical features of refugee migration would be viewed differently by participants. Responses revealed several similarities between participants. For instance, similar proportions of participants from both countries acknowledged refugees' suffering before their migration and the forced nature of refugees' migration. However, more British participants referred to perils refugees suffer during their journeys, possibly resulting from differences in refugees' migration routes. Furthermore, Ugandan participants took pride in international praise their country received for its forthcoming treatment of refugees. There were no differences regarding the extent to which individuals exhibited prejudice towards refugees or experienced threats from refugees. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings for refugee integration.
WFP –
Uganda Country Brief, June 2021, May 2021
East Africa: Regional Refugee Update – June 2021
Training, Events, Opportunities etc:
WFP – Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Mbarara, Arua – Deadline August 12
Feature:
2021 Regional NGO Consultations (EHAGL)
The UNHCR Bureau for East, Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes, (EHAGL), in collaboration with the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA), organised the 2021 Regional NGO Consultations from June 28- July 1
The themes were:
Localization of Humanitarian Action and Engagement with Communities in the COVID-19 Context
Implementation of the Global Refugee Forum Pledges
Socio-Economic Inclusion of Refugees
Climate Action