DOWNLOAD PDF REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT IN UGANDA

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1 Chapter 1 : Welcome to Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement American Refugee Committee Since resettlement was announced as one of the longterm solutions to the large caseload of Congolese refugees in Uganda in, IOM has moved about 25, to the United States, Canada, Australia Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Ireland and other countries. Despite the high number of South Sudanese continuing to arrive in, Uganda welcomed and generously hosted forcibly displaced people from the region and maintained its open door policy. The Government of Uganda provides a distinctly favourable protection environment for refugees characterized by a settlement approach. Uganda was the first country to officially roll-out the CRRF in early Population trends At year end, the total population of refugees and asylum-seekers in Uganda was 1,, people, with, people from South Sudan, some, from the DRC, and some 39, from Burundi. By the end of, more than 58, people were pending biometric registration in the government registration system. In, close to, refugees arrived in Uganda, mainly from South Sudan,, and to a lesser degree the influx from the Democratic Republic of Congo 43, people and from Burundi 5, people. Even though the influx from the Democratic Republic of Congo remained low through the year, in December Uganda received some 6, new arrivals as a results of violence and tensions in various parts of the country. Key Achievements The physical safety and security in reception and registration places were improved through the adequate presence of law enforcement bodies. UNHCR continued pursuing innovative solutions for sustainable socio-economic integration and integrated service delivery. UNHCR started the construction of shelters for people with specific needs, and of transit center facilities. Significant infrastructure improvements were made in the settlements, primarily in health and education. In total, 1,, people had access to permanent water solutions. Projects benefiting host and displaced communities were implemented and resulted in improved relationships between UNHCR and local authorities and communities. All new arrivals from South Sudan were provided with shelter construction materials upon relocation from reception centres to their assigned plots. Unmet needs The implementation of cash-based interventions was limited. Critical gaps in social service delivery persisted, and minimum standards were not met in the areas of education and health. The environmental protection activities, such as the promotion of energy-saving cooking stoves, and tree planting, were required to prevent environmental impacts. Due to funding challenges, the work plan and age gender diversity priorities from were not reviewed or adjusted to consistently implement activities. Consequently, this affected the accuracy of reporting for Thus most of the key indicators and performance targets at both impact and output level were not achieved. More than 23, separated children, 8, unaccompanied children; and 2, other children at risk continued to require targeted support. Page 1

2 Chapter 2 : Ugandan â Community Refugee & Immigration Services Resettlement continues to be an important element in protection and solutions strategies for refugees in Uganda, but is available for only a limited percentage of the refugee population. Potential funding shortfalls in could compromise the implementation of the multi-year strategic targets and outcomes identified by the Office. Nearly all, Hungarians who fled to Austria were resettled to 37 third countries within three years. Most of its Asian minority were expelled from Uganda in and some 40, Ugandan Asians were resettled in third countries. Between and July over 11, inmates from places of detention in Bosnia and Herzegovina had left for third countries. RefugePoint or HIAS make referrals for resettlement if they identify a high level of risk and vulnerability whilst being in the first country of asylum. Refugees cannot apply for resettlement themselves. After the refugees are referred for resettlement and agree to be resettled they are suggested to suitable countries that run resettlement programmes. Each participating government can select from the referrals and refugees themselves cannot choose their country of resettlement. Even though receiving countries should not select refugees according to their own criteria, it may be that societal and political desires influence which groups of refugees are received. It is also possible for multiple refugees to be submitted for resettlement if they share specific circumstances, such as similar reasons for their flight and no prospects of return. Many governments prioritise women and complete families and deprioritise single males. This happens in order to minimise potential security risks. Also single men, who are likely to receive a more thorough and time consuming security screening from resettlement states, are less likely to be submitted. Chairmen can help making up stories or can ignore real security issues. The refugees themselves may manipulate the selection process. They may not mention that they have recently married in order not to delay their departure or they make themselves younger or older in order to, putatively, increase their chances for resettlement. They may even exaggerate their level of vulnerability as has been noticed in Kakuma: Pre-departure happens from their country of origin, departure is the during the process of resettlement and post-arrival happens in their new country. Pre-departure[ edit ] After the selection process is completed there may be additional government interviews and security checks, followed by health assessments and a cultural orientation training. The latter should emphasise on the potential challenges for refugees in the receiving country. The Gateway Resettlement Programme for example, used to provide two weeks of cultural orientation when it was launched in ; however this has shrunk to three hours in Departure[ edit ] Refugees are assisted to travel into the receiving country, usually by airplane. From being selected for resettlement to actually arriving in the US, it usually takes between 18â 24 months. These provide a temporary safe haven before receiving countries are ready to take them. IOM staff escorts the refugees to the receiving country and can provide a medical escort, if needed. As most refugees have no experience of air travel, the escort assists them with the preparation for the travel and with the journey itself, guiding and monitoring them throughout the journey and until they are handed over to the post-arrival service of the receiving country. Upon arrival in the country refugees have the right to reside in the country and do not need to apply for asylum. Refugees who are resettled to the US have to pay rent after six months. A number of European countries run smaller schemes and in the United Kingdom established its own scheme, known as the Gateway Protection Programme [23] with an initial annual quota of The scheme would involve EU member states deciding together each year which refugees should be given priority. The United States helped resettle roughly 2 million refugees between and, when their refugee resettlement program was restructured. There is usually around 60, to 90, refugees resettled each fiscal year. Usually, they are not funded by the government, but instead rely on their own resources and volunteers. They do rely on the sponsorship of individuals or groups, such as faith-based congregations or local organizations. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, and World Relief. First of all, it has been estimated that for a federal or state bureaucracy to resettle refugees instead of the VOLAGS would double the overall cost. These agencies are often able to procure large quantities of donations and, more importantly, volunteers. According to one study, when the fact that resettlement workers often have to work nights, weekends, and overtime in order to meet the demands of the large cultural transition of new refugees is taken into account, the use of volunteers reduces Page 2

3 the overall cost down to roughly a quarter. South America[ edit ] Around 1, refugees, mainly Colombians, were resettled within South America between and through the "Solidarity Resettlement Programme". Page 3

4 Chapter 3 : Congolese (DRC) refugees European Resettlement Network Resettlement gives vulnerable refugees a chance to restart their lives in dignity, but in only 11 South Sudanese refugees were resettled from Uganda. Â Amnesty International View Full Screen 8. ARC teams are reimagining humanitarianism for the 21st Century. We are on a mission to transform our work to be more human, impactful, relevant and authentic. We also love new ideas and the chance to work with new people and groups to make change in the world. You can find ways to get to know us and get involved or reach out to an ARC team member to simply ask a question or inquire about how we might work together. But deciding how to give can also be an overwhelming experience. Please use the information provided as a guide but know that at the American Refugee Committee we remain open to new and different ways of giving. It has very quickly become the second largest refugee camp in the world. This summer it was a huge, empty, arid patch of land nearby the small Ugandan border town of Yumbe. But today it is home to some, refugees, most of whom have fled the violence and upheaval in South Sudan. The camp materialized so quickly and so many people have come and continue coming, humanitarian groups are still hustling to make available all the critical services that are needed. Some are refugees and some are Ugandan. Everyday, as they go out to the community to meet refugee families and hear what they need, our staff and volunteers in Bidi Bidi see small ways that they could make a big difference. The team created a dish library. Most people fled with nothing, including pots and pans and dishes. Until they get a set of their own, they can lend dishes from the library to eat their meals from. With suddenly so many more mothers and babies on the way in the area, the midwives from the local community have become very busy. Night deliveries are more and more common. So, we provided them with kits that included boots to navigate muddy conditions, a reflective vest, an extra set of scrubs, and a solar lantern and headlamp to light their way. For a kid, it can get pretty boring in Bidi Bidi settlement. Thanks to a donation of soccer gear from the St. Croix Soccer Club in Minnesota, we were able to give kids and adults some proper gear. Page 4

5 Chapter 4 : School Started by Refugees Becomes One of Ugandaâ s Best â Refugees Deeply Uganda Empowering Diverse Communities Geographically, Uganda is at the center of the African continent. Many of the countries surrounding Uganda are embroiled in conflict or other humanitarian crises, leading refugees from a number of different nations to seek sanctuary within its borders. Refugees share about life in Bidibidi Resettlement in Uganda, and the conflict that plagues South Sudan. Refugee Margaret Jerwa continues to offer up prayers for South Sudan, even while she lives in a Ugandan resettlement camp. We have failed to rule ourselves. Some refugees even long for the days when Sudan and South Sudan were united. This area of rural northwest Uganda is the remote locale where many South Sudanese have had to resettle. It can take almost an hour to venture from the closest town. Hasan in front of his home. Divided into five zones, each area usually represents the month when the refugees arrived. Many refugees even remember the exact date. A father of four children, his family walked for two weeks to the border from South Sudan. A perilous journey fraught with rebel troops lying in wait to prey on unsuspecting travelers. Once Hasan and his family arrived, they faced a whole new set of difficulties. Many went to the bush in order to find more food. Life in the Camps While the resettlement presented new troubles, Hasan also saw people providing solutions to the problemsâ most immediate was the problem of clean drinking water. His family and others have received tools to build latrines near their homes, which helps reduce risk of contamination and sickness. But the needs in the resettlement are unending. In order to keep up with the number of people arriving every day, they need at least four boreholes built. Drilling continues but the demand continues to grow. Chris Mawa and his former water engineer from South Sudan, Cosmas. For Chris Mawa, drilling boreholes is just part of his daily routine. Many educated professionals and skilled laborers also have been forced to leave the war-torn country. In South Sudan, Hasan Moroh was a counselor for his county and a grammar teacher. As the war spread, he felt it was time for him and his family to finally pack up and leave. Life is difficult in the resettlement. There are few jobs and the nearest school has a ratio of one teacher for every students. Continuing Education John Ayume, 21, would like to be able to finally finish his education one day. He has completed up to senior four and was hoping for a scholarship to complete the rest, but the possibility of completing school seems more and more like a distant dream. He is also part of the Water Committee with Hasan and is helping educate families on proper hygiene. John Ayume speaking with a beneficiary in Bidibidi. When asked about the future of his homeland, John did not have much hope of returning home. Page 5

6 Chapter 5 : UNHCR - Resettlement Uganda's Refugee Act, considered one of the most progressive and generous in the world, provides free healthcare and education in refugee settlements and permits refugees to move freely in the country. A comprehensive guide to resettlement, As of 1 January, over half a million refugees fled the Democratic Republic of Congo DRC, making the DRC refugee population the sixth largest in the world. The Congolese refugee population mainly consists of those who fled the first and second Congo Wars in and, respectively. More recently, outbreaks of violence in the east of the DRC have led to approximately 45, refugees fleeing to Uganda and Rwanda. Contributing factors to the persistent violence and instability in the DRC include the absence of functioning state authorities, the fragility of state institutions, tensions over land ownership and citizenship, and externalisation of instability in neighbouring countries. The volatile security situation in many areas of the DRC means voluntary repatriation is not currently a viable solution for most DRC refugees. Opportunities for local integration in the host countries are also very limited. While all countries hosting DRC refugees are signatories to the Convention, the Protocol and the OAU Refugee Convention, several have imposed restrictions limiting the ability of DRC refugees to enjoy their rights, including: Restrictions have been applied either legally, as a consequence of host countries having made reservations to the Conventions, or practically but without legal basis. Even in cases where DRC refugees enjoy basic rights, their integration prospects are often limited. In Burundi and Uganda, for example, DRC refugees have the legal right to work but rates of employment are extremely low, limiting their access to livelihoods. Many therefore choose to remain in camps, increasing their dependence on aid. Due to the size and the protracted nature of the Congolese refugee situation and the ongoing violence in eastern DRC, a common sub-regional approach to enhance durable solutions for Congolese refugees was introduced in early This strategy includes significantly increased resettlement of Congolese refugees living in a protracted situation in the Great Lakes and South Africa region. Some, refugees have been identified for resettlement. Of these, at least 50, Congolese refugees will be submitted for resettlement from to, making the Congolese one of the largest resettlement operations for the coming period. Most of the Congolese refugees have lived in protracted situations in camps, settlements Uganda and urban situations, many for over 17 years. The majority of refugees are of Banyarwanda backgrounds Tutsi, Hutu or Banyamulenge and most are children under the age of The average household size is estimated to be 5. The large majority of the Congolese refugees are resettled to the United States. The profiles show that the refugees will require considerable attention when they will arrive in their new countries, and that reception and integration programmes will need to address vulnerabilities. Congolese refugees in Rwanda. Noy Photo 2: Congolese refugees in Rwanda strengthening their tents. Chapter 6 : Home Office of Refugee Resettlement Administration for Children and Families The Refugee Coordination Model (RCM) is the basis for leading and coordinating refugee operations; it is an articulation of our shared duty towards refugees, and a statement of both an integrated huma. Chapter 7 : Kampala, UGANDA - Urban Refugees Processing Instructions Your case will be processed in accordance with federal regulations defined by the United States Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Please refer to the instructions below to initiate your case processing in Kampala. Chapter 8 : 8 things you need to know about refugees in Uganda Amnesty International Women stand between the borders of Uganda and South Sudan near Bibi Bidi, resettlement camp. Photograph: Justin Lynch/AP Simon Modi, 17, has just crossed into Yumbe in northern Uganda from South. Page 6

7 Chapter 9 : Uganda Offers Refugees a Home Away From Home The Refugee Law Project, an organisation specialising in legal support for refugees in Uganda, can provide legal aid if you're facing difficulties. They are also a good point of contact for other forms of assistance, such as English language training and professional working groups. Page 7