Uganda: ADRA Responds to Improve the Lives of Congolese Refugees

SILVER SPRING, Md. – Following the heated November 2011 presidential election in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the battle between government forces and armed militia has been ongoing, causing thousands of Congolese to flee to the neighboring country of Uganda. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is assisting hundreds of refugee families, now in the process of transitioning into a new life in a foreign country.

Through ADRA’s local office in Uganda, the Agency will be conducting an intervention targeting 300 refugee families residing in Uganda’s western Kisoro district at the Nyakabande refugee center. This response will give priority to minors, unaccompanied children, and nursing/expecting mothers, all of who are at risk of being marginalized during emergency situations. Essential non-food items (NFI’s) consisting of blankets, water containers, cooking and eating utensils, and mosquito nets, that serve to protect against malaria, will be distributed during the response.

Uganda’s Office of the Prime Minister requested assistance from ADRA to assist in improving the living conditions of Congolese refugees in the country. As part of the response, ADRA is collaborating with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Uganda’s Red Cross, and staff of the Nyakabande refugee camp to compile a prioritized list of households for the distribution, and ensure the appropriate households receive the NFI kits.

ADRA has had a presence in Uganda since 1986, intervening and implementing a number of relief and emergency responses across the country.