Funding Cuts Strain Uganda’s Refugee System

Uganda’s refugee response, long held up as one of Africa’s most progressive models, is under mounting pressure as humanitarian funding shrinks, according to the Commissioner for Refugee Management in Uganda’s Office of the Prime Minister, funding has dropped by more than 50%, straining service delivery across the board.

Uganda currently hosts about 2.02 million refugees, the largest refugee population in Africa, with most fleeing conflict in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The country’s policy has historically allowed refugees to work, move freely, and access land, more than 500,000 refugee children are enrolled in school, and refugee-owned businesses have reportedly created over 300,000 jobs for refugees and Ugandans alike.

But funding cuts are eroding those gains. Food rations from the World Food Programme have fallen to about $3 a month per person, a level officials call far below what’s needed for basic nutrition. Consequences are already showing: children pulled out of school for labour or income, overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, rising gender-based violence, and more children on the streets or begging in urban areas.

Read more: https://observer.ug/news/aid-crisis-threatens-ugandas-refugees/