Refugee Highway Partnership

The most recent update from Stephen Mugabi, the RHP Africa Facilitator, is below.

Floods in Northern and Eastern Uganda, report on November 23, 2007 

a) Situation on flooding in
Uganda:
 
For now (November-early December), the flooding in most parts of the country has halted or reduced. I have been attending the on-going Common wealth Heads of Government Meetings (CHOGM) taking place in
Kampala, November 22-25, 2007. I was a delegate of the People’s Forum. One of the working sessions was on climatic change. Delegates predicted that more flooding will happen in countries like Uganda (and indeed many others in sub-Saharan
Africa). So even though the rains have relatively reduced in the past one month (affecting most parts in
Northern Uganda), we definitely are expecting more, and therefore continued flooding in the nearest future.b) Post recovery flooding situation in parts of
Uganda: This is where the challenge still remains. The majority of the population faced with the post recovery flooding in many parts of the country (particularly in Northern Uganda), are and still remain the poorest of the poor, displaced and homeless, returnees from the refugee (IDP) camps who were the victims of the 20 rebel wars led by the Lord Resistance Army (LRA), school-going children, women, and the elderly. Many are crying out for the needed emergency relief assistance (in form of food and non-food items). Among the many needs are food items (because of the waterlogged fields, crops are rotten and virtually swept away). The damage on crops was very wide spread. They are also crying out for non-food items (tarpaulins, tents, clothes, blankets, lanterns, household items such as plates and cups, supplies of medicines, mosquito nets, water containers, bicycles, etc.). Children who go to school need food and non-food items, and are also in dire need of educational materials (books, pencils, pens, places to study/temporary tents). 

c) Who is helping the affected communities? Where is relief expected to come from during the next 6 months to 1 year?Very little has trickled in since the flooding reduced. It has been the World Food Programme, Red Cross and a few humanitarian groups that have come to the rescue of those affected. However, thousands and thousands are in need of help (and they can’t find it). The Government of Uganda promised some relief assistance but very little as well has come in. The Government is at the moment busy with the CHOGM in
Kampala. Help can only come from the humanitarian agencies (and particularly churches who know where the neediest are).  Agencies like Red Cross, Medicines Sans Frontiers, WFP, World Vision etc. are helping but can’t reach everybody. Churches need to come in, but they, too, need to be enabled.

Prayer needs for those affected and situation in general:

• Provision of food and non-food items for the next 6 months to 1 year (especially for the poorest of the poor – children and women);
• Support for the local churches in
  Uganda as they carry out emergency relief assistance;
• Meeting the health / hygiene / psycho-social and spiritual needs of communities affected (particularly IDP returnees who are homeless).
• Victims – particularly the homeless and internally displaced, returnees from the IDP camps, and school-going children (who are expected to take their annual exams)
• Government of
  Uganda, who is required to repair much of the infrastructure (destroyed bridges, roads and other electricity supplies)
• Peace and tranquility to prevail
• AEA-RHP Post Recovery Programme (resource and help to implement)

We will keep you updated. We are planning a visit early next month.

Reported by: Stephen Mugabi, Executive Secretary, Association of Evangelicals in Africa-Commission on Relief and Development (ARDC)