In order to assist Uganda’s response to refugees, the European Union (EU) has announced a €15 million fund (61 billion Ugandan Shillings).
The three-year investment will be used to enhance the refugee and host communities’ access to water, sanitation, hygiene, healthcare, energy, education, and environmental conditions.
The declaration was made while representatives from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and the European Union visited the Nakivale refugee camp in southwest Uganda.
The delegates had the chance to interact with refugees in groups, talk about important issues, and evaluate prospects for more support during their visit.
Although funding will be provided to the government of Uganda, according to Myrian Ferran, the deputy director general of the European Union Commission’s Department of International Partnership, the EU is also developing strategies to transition from only providing humanitarian assistance to offering development assistance, which will ensure resilience and self-sustainability among the refugees through livelihoods.
According to Rauf Mazou, the UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, the monies will be utilized to assist refugees in becoming more self-sufficient, which will lessen their reliance on humanitarian aid.
According to UNHCR Country Representative Matthew Crentsil, the monies will close major gaps in Uganda’s response to refugees that have existed since last year.
Esther Anyakun, the minister of state for relief, disaster preparedness, and refugees, expressed her appreciation for the financing and said it will aid in resettling the sizable number of refugees who have entered Uganda from the Democratic Republic of the Congo since March 2022.
Additionally, she pointed out that although Uganda has included refugee-related activities in each of its three National Development Plans, the government does not have a dedicated budget for refugees, making assistance from partners like the European Union essential.
Uganda is now sheltering more than 1,542,000 refugees, mainly from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, making it the largest refugee-hosting nation in Africa.
168,946 refugees from twelve different nationalities, including Congolese, Burundians, Rwandans, and Somalis, are housed in the Nakivale community alone.
