U.S. government is set to donate $83 million in addition to humanitarian assistance offered to refugee communities in Uganda.
This new funding which will be made by the end of this year, includes a $40 million contribution to the United Nations World Food Programme, a $29 million contribution to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and nearly $14 million to support the work of other international and non-governmental organizations.
“Emergency humanitarian aid, provided by the U.S. government, will help meet the immediate food, protection, shelter, water and sanitation, psycho social, and other life-saving assistance needs of refugees and host communities,”
This assistance prioritizes procurement of food from Ugandan and regional farmers. U.S. also continues to leverage development and humanitarian resources to build self-reliance and resilience among the refugees and Ugandans in refugee-hosting districts, including support for livelihoods and nutrition.
Through this funding, the U.S. government supports the United Nations’ implementation of biometric registration and a new biometric-based food distribution system, which will help elevate standards of accountability, transparency, safety, and dignity in refugee food assistance.
Uganda is the largest refugee-hosting country in Africa with over 1.4 million asylum seekers from the neighboring countries of South Sudan, Rwanda, Somalia, DRC and Burundi.
Relief agencies and the Government of Uganda continue to work together to meet life-saving needs of refugees, including those who have fled conflict in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The United States is the largest single donor of humanitarian assistance in Uganda, supporting emergency food and nutrition assistance, medical care, water, prevention of and response to gender-based violence, and livelihoods support to refugees in Uganda as well as their Ugandan host communities.