Uganda: Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement Project

February 2014 Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement Project Assessment

March 02, 2014

Naku Charles Lwanga

Uganda Initiative Reports

Photos

Success Stories and Trip Report:

Kiryandongo Assessment

This assessment was done in February 2014 by RMF’s CEO Dr. Martina Fuchs, accompanied by RMF Country Director Mr. Naku Charles Lwanga, RMF Deputy Country Director Mr. Alphonse Mwanawmwolho, RMF Area Coordinator Kiryandongo Ms. Sharifa Among and Vocational Instructor, Mr. Adolph Byamungu Kitsa.

Dr. Martina Fuchs visited Panyadoli Health Centres II and III, the Reception Centre (Health Centre II), all Kiryandongo Resettlement schools supported by RMF and the Panyadoli Vocational Training Institute. She also took several meetings with the OPM and other stakeholders at the camp.

In the schools we met with the teachers to get updated on accomplishments and needs, and interacted with students from South Sudan, refugees that had just arrived, most of them minors; they shared their harrowing stories about their experiences in South Sudan in these last few weeks and months, a sad majority of them having seen family members being killed in front of their eyes.

At the Health Centers we met with the staff in their different departments.

Dr. Simon speaking with Dr. Martina Fuchs and staff of Panyadoli Health Centre III

Panyadoli Health Centre III

Clinical Officer in charge Dr. Simon Opido explained how the number of patients was increasing due to the South Sudanese refugee influx and was asking for more help, increasing the number of staff, and buildings and wards.

The midwives at Panyadoli H/C III explained how they were facing challenges in the mobilization of expectant mothers to deliver at the Health Centre, and in the enrollment of Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) to admit pregnant women to the Health Centre for delivery instead of delivering their babies at home where they do not have any support in case of complications.

Severely malnourished child at the therapeutic feeding center at Panyadoli Health Centre III

Dr. Martina Fuchs embraces one of the South Sudanese girls to comfort her after she shared her horrifying experience.

Assessment at Can Rom Primary School

PTA/BOG meeting at Panyadoli Secondary School

PTA/BOG Board members

The Head Master of the school gave his remarks:

Performance: he said that the performance was not as good as hoped for last year, but he promised a big change this year.

Donors: Big thanks to RMF/WCF for supporting Panyadoli Secondary School. He was so grateful and announced to the committee that without RMF providing scholastic materials, sponsoring students in paying school fees, paying teachers, paying for uniforms, etc. the school would not have been able to function.

Request: He requested the donors to continue supporting the students especially the new refugee students from South Sudan and he requested RMF to help in the procurement of laboratory equipment.

South Sudanese Refugee experience:

We interacted with 18 of the new South Sudanese students at Panyadoli SS where there is currently a big gap in the counseling services available to these students that have all been through very traumatic experiences with many of their parents having been killed in the fighting and many having witnessed the killings. Our team’s listening to them all telling their stories was a helpful step in sharing and grieving together.

Sharifa Among counseling Simon Manyang, Bol Paul, and Ramkel Deng in RMF’s office, all are South Sudanese senior three students at Panyadoli SS.

DIRECTING STUDENTS TO RED CROSS

During the assessment, we found that several students at Panyadoli Secondary School needed help to trace their families because they had lost contact with their relatives remaining in South Sudan and they were not sure if they were alive. We accompanied a number of them to the Red Cross office for family tracing.

Donate

Background

The Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement in Bweyale, Uganda, is a UNHCR managed refugee settlement that provides shelter, land, and support for more than 100,000 people. They are comprised of refugees from Kenya, DR Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, and South Sudan. RMF has partnered with UNHCR in supporting Kiryandango Refugee Settlement, the surrounding community of Bweyale, and the greater Kiryandongo District (an additional 266,197 people) with health care, education, and vocational training since 2008.

Objectives

To serve as a health care implementation partner with the UNHCR and Ugandan Government
To provide health care services to over 100,000 refugees and persons in the community via the Panyadoli Health Centres
To provide skills training for South Sudanese refugees to enable them to become self-reliant