Written by Catherine Ntabadde Makumbi
Tuesday, 14 January 2014 06:19
Uganda Red Cross Society is providing phone call services to South Sudan refugees who want to contact their relatives and families back home. Three phones operated by URCS tracing assistant that have been deployed in the camp.
According to Olive Twikirize, URCS Tracing Assistant managing the phone service, a total of 245 refugees with phone numbers have approached the Red Cross tracing desk in Dzaipi Transit Camp to make phone calls in South Sudan.
URCS is providing this service together with ICRC. 177 refugees have made successful calls to their relatives to exchange family news.
A blind lady, in her 70s was able to make contact with her son who is in Egypt. For the others, the calls have gone to voice mails or the numbers are off.
URCS is providing strictly 2 minutes to each caller and the refugees inform their relatives in South Sudan where they are. Red Cross is encouraging the refugees to ask their relatives to call them back on their private numbers since the URCS phone are strictly for family news.
Meanwhile more refugees from South Sudan continue to enter Uganda mainly through Elegu in Adjumani and Oraba in Koboko. In Adjumani, the refugees are receiving humanitarian aid at Dzaipi Transit Camp. As of January 14, there were 34, 107 refugees.
In Koboko, the refugees temporarily stay at Keri Transit Camp before their relocation to Ocea reception Centre inside Rhino Camp settlement in Arua district. The total of South Sudan refugees at Ocea in Rhino Camp is 7, 335 according to Uganda Red Cross Society Arua Branch Manager Yona Ukuku.
In Kiryandongo, there are 2, 790 South Sudanese who have been using their own means to get to the settlement. There is an on going bio metric registration taking place by UNHCR and OPM.
The government through the Office of Prime Minister and UNHCR last week assigned URCS the role of camp management of Dzaipi and Keri Transit Camp. URCS has expertise in camp management and has over the years supported government to manage various refugees transit camps like Nyakabande in Kisoro, Bubukwanga in Bundibugyo, in Kanungu among others.
State Minister for Disaster Preparedness Musa Ecweru, Information Minister Rosemary Namayanja on January 13th led a delegation of development partners and representatives of Foreign missions for on spot assessment in Kiryandongo and Adjumani. URCS Interim Secretary General Ken Odur Gabelle was part of the mission.
According to the joint field assessment mission, the urgent needs are;
• Relocation exercise hampered by lack of adequate nonfood items in Pakelle in Adjumani, however UNHCR has indicated sending of some NFIs soon
• Records of entries already made project about 70% of the population of new arrivals to be women and children raising protection concerns. These concerns are real when viewed against the background of poor lighting around the entire reception centre now transit centre and its surrounding environments that are all covered with newly arrived refugees. The fact that the entire Dzaipi transit centre has six (6) temporary shelters and three (3) permanently built shelters with 14 classrooms at the neighboring Dzaipi primary school to house 23,000 refugees the extent of protection challenges for women and children become clearly manifestly clear.
• The number of medical staff remains low and drugs are insufficient at the Dzaipi center and cannot serve the population of refugees besides the local population
• Critical need to step up immunization as the influx escalates
• Sensitization of the host populace on some neglected diseases like, sleeping sickness, polio and conditions like guinea worm that are still active in South Sudan.
• Sensitization of proper hygiene to the refugee population since there are defecating all over the place
• At Elegu border post where the holding centre has been setup, only a 10,000L water tank has been installed with a single tap as the sole water source. Considering that each day between 1,500 to 2,000 new arrivals are received, this 10,000 liter tank is not adequate. Replenishment also remains a challenge since it is served by tracking water hence the need to scale up the water storage capacity
• Human waste disposal and refuse management remain inadequate equally. By the time of assessment Danish Refugee Council (DRC) personnel were nearing completion of sinking two blocks (4 stances) latrines at Elegu Holding Center and would complete construction by Wednesday. Although this is a big step from zero stances, the ratio of 1:250 (4 stances for 1,000) remains a serious gap likely to affect hygiene levels and create foundation for possible spread of diseases. Overall there is need to focus on sinking drainable latrines as in both Elegu and Dzaipi the available land is limited.
• Overall there is need to strengthen hygiene and sanitation by rapidly deploying Hygiene promoters at both Elegu and Dzaipi transit centre
• From observation and discussions conducted, a significant population of the new arrivals is in need of psychosocial support. Many recount harrowing tales of their plight while children recollect the plight they witnessed while fleeing South Sudan. From observation many children appear to be already traumatized and require immediate attention in form of psychosocial support which unfortunately by Wednesday 8th no agency had indicated plans of supporting.
• As the new arrivals are being transferred to settlements, there is need to have a strategy to provide poles and ropes (construction materials) to the refugees who are being resettled. However this may raise issues with the local population unless handled well as sections of the local population still contend that previous promises allegedly made by UNHCR to support the nationals with re-forestation in Adjumani never bore fruit.
• Pijoke Health centre in Koboko is over whelmed with the number of patients for instance 400 malaria patients registered in the last 30 days. The health centre is small but records a minimum of 100 patients daily.
• Most of the referrals require ambulance services but there are no ambulance services in koboko.
• There is still Limited access to safe and adequate water in the transit and reception centres in Koboko and Arua.
• There is Massive ecosystem degradation in search for shelter materials in Koboko and Arua.
URCS actions in the current refugee influx
1 In line with its roles and humanitarian mandate URCS responded to the continued unfolding emergency by deploying volunteers to assist the new arrivals. In total 51 volunteers have been deployed by URCS Adjumani Branch.
2 URCS is involved in registration at Keri Transit Camp in Koboko and Ocea Reception centre in Rhino Camp.
3 URCS is involved in Hygiene promotion in Koboko and Rhino
4 Uganda Red Cross Society volunteers now carry out manual registration of the new arrivals to facilitate planning for further humanitarian support at Dzaipi Transit Camp.
5 The URCS with support of ICRC has rolled out restoration of family links services to the new arrivals in Dzaipi transit area. URCS teams continue to identify Un Accompanied Minors and conduct family re-unions. So far 185 UAMs have been identified of which 51 re-unifications have been conducted.
6 URCS undertook full participation in the interagency team with personnel from headquarter deployed with each of the two assessment teams that were deployed to cover Arua and Adjumani respectively
7 URCS has established a phone call service to enable the refugee communicate with their relatives in South Sudan. So far 69 out of the 98 calls were successful.
8 In Koboko, URCS is operating and providing 45,000 Ltrs of safe water at Wajo1 using the water and sanitation kit 5 but needs funding support to continue this but for now there is no alternative for the refugee population.
Coordination-Office of Prime Minister is taking lead in co-ordination of the response to the protection concerns of the refugees and affected host population supported by UNHCR at all levels – At Kampala level, there are a series of meetings that are organized and attended by a cross section of partners and agencies while at the field level, OPM supported by UNHCR has a presence that constitutes a coordination mechanism that is used on a daily basis to deliver, plan for assistance as the situation evolves.
Last Updated on Thursday, 16 January 2014 18:09