By Marko Taibot. October 11, 2021
The Swelling population of refugees in Adjumani refugee settlements is greatly threatening the resource envelop and affecting the quality of service delivery to both the host communities and the refugee population. The leaders claim that, although new entrance of refugees has stopped, but many south Sudanese’s have continued to enter Uganda in research of social amenities and many refugees in the settlements are producing at a high rate.
According to data from the office of the prime minister, Adjumani is a home to close to 236,000 refugees from south Sudan, more than the national population that stands at 232,000 according to the 2014 Uganda bureau of statistics (UBOs) report.
Mr. Anyama Ben the local council five chairman Adjumani speaking to journalists at CAOs boardroom
Mr. Ben Anyama the district local council five chairperson says, in two years’ time, the population of the refugees may go up to 250,000 which he notes will affect the resources allocation of the district. Anyama noted that, the continued conflict in south Sudan has kept many south Sudanese to send their children to Uganda to access education and health services.
Anyama witnessed that, due to the conducive environment provided by Ugandan government, many of the refugees find producing many children as possible.
Anyama held, as a result the bulging population has got a far reaching impact on social economic, and political impacts especially the environment has been depilated as many of the refugees depend on wood for cooking, trees for construction of houses which has left the environment without being reclaimed.
Anyama further explained that, as result of the influx, the roads get worn up very fast due to the heavy fleet on the roads that carry food to the settlements.
“Our classrooms are filled to fully capacity, our hospital is a 100 bed capacity but currently the hospital is treating more than five hundred patients, the maternity ward alone has 25 bed capacity yet right now it has 100 mothers and this means that services have to be compromised” Anyama stated.
Anyama further divulged that although the population of the refugees is skyrocketing, when it comes to service delivery they do not marginalize the refugees and host communities and all were treated equally in law.
The Adjumani district chief administrative officer Mr. Michael Wanje pointed out that, the services to the refugees were planned for by UNHCR and UN Agencies but now with the National development Plan iii (NDP iii) Uganda is now trying to factor in the issues of humanitarian assistant to refugees with the open door policy Uganda has.
He notes that, the open door policy has led to the increase in population of the refugees which has a negative impact on the resources envelop of the district.
Wanje said, “The district for financial year 2021/2022 passed a budget of 70billion for a population of 232,000 but now with an additional population of 236,000 refugees means another additional budget of 70billion is needed to be able to deliver effective services”
The settlement commandant Adjumani Mr. Robert Andeoye who spoke on behalf of refugee desk officer affirmed that, it is true the number of refugees in Adjumani than that of the nationals and as such the Adjumani office does not registered new entrance to the district only on special arrangements. He notes that the number has grown due to the new born within the refugee settlements.
Mr. Robert Andeoye settlement commandant
Robert added that the increasing number equally require adequate resources to be able to deliver effective services clarifying that some UN Agencies and partners intervened to supplement the mandates of the OPM to ensure the refugees get adequate services.
Robert supplemented that, Adjumani district has 19 refugee settlement and that there are close to six UN agencies, and more than 50 NGOs providing different services to the refugee population including family planning services in order to regulate the increasing population.
Ms. Nancy Asibazoyo the project officer FAWE, said FAWE under its project program on women empowerment on social reproductive maternal new born child and adolescent health right with funding from UNWOMEN are focus on economic empowerment and sexual health rights by doing awareness and sanitization.
She notes that their target beneficiaries are commercial sex workers, persons living with HIV/AIDS, survivors of Gender based violence, teenage mothers, windows and older persons.
One of the partners that has intervened to deliver services to the increasing refugee population indicated that, they have been providing legal services to the refugee population women empowerment, skilling and training them on leadership with more focus on women so that the bulging population can be managed.
Atim also confirmed that through their interventions, many woman in the refugee settlement have taken up leadership position indicating that in the recently concluded elections in the settlements, many women took up leadership.
Care international with funding from the UNWOMEN has been empowering women with income generating activities and empowering women with the cash for work. Ms. Better Auma the livelihood coordinator Care international says the women groups have picked very well.
Sophie Anzoa a widow in Women of peace group attested that when they received 7million shillings last year, they have invested and now have raised 21million from their group business.
She said from the group business they have opened individual and personal business that help them fed their families and pay school fees.
Ms. Rose minji 39year old from Maaji ii block A1 told daily monitor that, she came to Uganda in 2016 with 5 children but has found out that the intervention and awareness on family planning has helped her to regulate the number of children she has.
The deputy country representative UN Women Adekemi Ndieli, who visited the district to ascertain the appreciated the work of the implementing partners commenting Uganda for its open door policy that allowed refugees to do business to supplement the resources given by the partners.
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