-
United Nations CERF Aids Victims of Floods and Mudslides in Eastern Uganda
With funding from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), IOM Uganda is implementing a project worth USD 818,000 in emergency relief for over 120,000 people affected by floods in Uganda.
In December 2019, and heavy flash floods and mudslides killed more than 40 people and left thousands displaced and without shelter in the eastern and western regions of Uganda. Many homes and roads were destroyed and washed away by heavy downpours and the resultant floods and mudslides.
Under the CERF funding, IOM is planning to provide water, sanitation and hygiene services. Repairs will also be carried out on dozens of existing water hand pumps, wells and springs in the area – most of them damaged by the floods and mudslides. To ensure safe drinking water is available for those affected, households will also get storage containers and water-purifying agents such as aqua tabs
The project will further establish, train and equip 18 community-based WASH Management Committees at existing water points. These committees will take responsibility for operation and maintenance (O&M) of the water sources in Bududa and Sironko districts. Another 50 community volunteers will be trained in water quality testing and monitoring.
The project will also address challenges related to sanitation. In Partnership with Care and Assistance for Forced Migrants (CAFOMI), IOM will install at least 150 emergency mobile toilets; rehabilitate four institutional latrines (including in schools and health centres), and distribute 2,000 hygiene kits to help minimize the risk of diseases.
In addition, using its Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), IOM will support the overall flood response by providing vital information on the affected communities in the two districts, as well as in the southwestern district of Bundibugyo.
European Union, CERF aid Refugees and Host communities
In early 2020, IOM completed major projects in Kyaka II settlement in Kyegegwa district and Palorinya settlement in the new district of Obongi. The projects were funded by the European Commission's Directorate of Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG-ECHO) and CERF. In both settlements, the projects major piped water systems and sanitation and hygiene facilities.
Over the last five years, IOM's work in refugee settlements has centred on four pillars:
- Construction of latrines and other facilities (e.g. placenta pits, incinerators) for schools and hospitals, where they are used by both refugees and host communities.
- For households, refugees get the tools and material to construct their own latrines, with special assistance for vulnerable refugees like single mothers and the elderly.
- Water facilities: We construct/rehabilitate boreholes, piped water systems, rainwater-harvesting systems and other mechanisms to help refugees and host communities access clean and safe water.
- IOM works closely with Government of Uganda (Central and local Government authorities), civil society and refugees and host communities.