Refugees in Uganda: Emergency WASH Programs

The recent political instability in the D.R. Congo has forced many Congolese nationals to flee fighting by crossing the border into western Uganda. In the last few weeks of 2008, some 200 refugees crossed into Uganda each day. Many humanitarian organizations are on site to assist the 1.2 million already displaced in the D.R. Congo; others have moved to provide assistance to the 50,000 new arrivals in Uganda. Action Against Hunger was onsite to supply emergency water and sanitation assistance to a camp in Matanda, Uganda, where roughly 11,000 refugees were living.

The Matanda camp was originally set up by the government as a transitional registration site, as it is located just a few kilometers from the Congolese border. ACF concentrated its efforts on getting families situated with access to water and proper sanitation. With water already a scarce commodity in the region -- local communities use jerry cans to transport water and there are few systems in place -- ACF devoted its time to ameliorating access to quality water while improving local resources in the area.