Supporting newly arrived refugees in Uganda

On Tuesday, IsraAID Uganda had the distinct privilege to distribute essential items to nearly 1,200 households of newly arrived Congolese refugees and host community members in Nakivale refugee settlement. Distribution days are always a celebration, the culmination of weeks of planning, procurement, and logistics, to bring essential aid to communities in need. Today, we thought we’d give you a behind the scenes look at the work that led up to this day.

The Nakivale Refugee settlement in southwest Uganda is home to over 207,000 refugees from over 8 countries. In the past year, alongside our work supporting refugees and host communities in the north, IsraAID Uganda has expanded our reach and brought our expertise to Nakivale. In recent weeks, Nakivale officials have reported a sharp uptick in new refugees coming from Congo.

Any time there is a large influx of new arrivals, it can put stress on the existing resources and services. IsraAID Uganda took the opportunity to support local officials in easing the transition for new arrivals to the settlement. We partnered with the Office of the Prime Minister and local partners Hunger Fighters to make sure that essential items got directly into the hands of the people who needed them most.

The first step in any new project is to conduct an assessment on the ground – we want to talk to the people and find out what would really be helpful to them. To tackle this big task and reach as many people as possible, IsraAID Uganda recruited a staff of volunteers to conduct home visits. IsraAID went door-to-door in the villages where new arrivals from Congo were settling in. After speaking to residents, we found that the most urgent need was for hygiene and sanitation items.

Working with the Office of the Prime Minister, IsraAID purchased $30,000 worth of supplies to support new arrivals. These included jerricans and water tanks to safely store water, soaps, handwashing stations, reuseable sanitary pads, and more. Volunteers went visited homes and registered families for distribution, making sure that everyone would get exactly what they needed.

On distribution day, our team and our partners at Hope For Humanity Uganda were on the ground delivering items to families that had been forced to relocate far from home. These days are always incredibly meaningful for us because they allow us the opportunity to speak to community members, hear their stories, and listen to their experiences and challenges in their new environment. It gives us both the chance to see and feel the impact of our work, while gaining a deeper insight into how we can support communities in the future.

Alongside distributing items, sharing information is key in ensuring healthy communities. The Democratic Republic of Congo is currently experiencing an outbreak of Mpox – an infection disease that is spread through close person to person contact. To help ensure communities take all the necessary precautions, IsraAID distributed information on prevention and treatment to five health centers in Nakivale. To make sure that these materials reach as many community members as possible, they were translated into three local languages.

Another item we distributed were reuseable sanitary pads. Menstrual health and hygiene are key to ensure that women and girls can continue their education and careers. Many women and girls who don’t have access to menstrual hygiene items have to skip school or stay home when they have their periods. IsraAID Uganda’s female team members held sessions addressing every day experiences and highlighted positive aspects of mental health, helping reduce stigma around it. They also provided detailed instruction on proper cleaning and storage of reuseable pads to ensure long-term durability.

IsraAID Uganda is committed not only to delivering important aid items, but in strengthening communities. We’re grateful to all of our staff, partners, and volunteers for all the work that helped us support nearly 1,200 households with both supplies and information, easing their transition into their new homes. This distribution is just one way that IsraAID continues to support crisis-affected communities around the globe.