South Sudanese refugee moms lean on each other

The world’s population of forcibly displaced people – mothers, fathers, and children who’ve been forced to flee their homes in the face of conflict, drought, hunger, and many other reasons – is the largest it’s ever been. The UN Refugee Agency’s 2016 data, released yesterday, shows global displacement numbers have climbed to 65.6 million, a figure that’s more than the populations of New York, California, and Virginia – combined.

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These 65.6 million people all have their own unique stories: of the dangers that forced them to abandon their community, of family members they lost or left behind, of terrifying journeys to reach safety, of the struggles to find a new place to call home. Action Against Hunger is proud to work alongside displaced families as they try to get back on their feet and begin to rebuild their lives.

South Sudan, the world’s newest nation, is also the source of the globe’s fastest-growing displaced population: 2.5 million South Sudanese have fled since the civil war began in 2013, and more than 900,000 were forced to flee just in 2016. Many of them have crossed the southern border to seek refuge in Uganda, where the government’s refugee policy is quite generous.

Action Against Hunger’s approach to helping refugees in Uganda is two pronged: in places like Bidi Bidi settlement, we are helping meet urgent, immediate needs for the newly displaced. Sadly, with no end in sight to the violence in South Sudan, refugees’ needs are not limited to a short-term, emergency response – that’s why we’re also partnering with South Sudanese refugees who fled months or even years ago. These populations tend to be more settled and stable, and in need of a different, longer term approach to help them build sustainable livelihoods in their new communities and keep their families healthy for the long haul.

In Uganda’s Adjumani settlement, Action Against Hunger is working with mothers to form support groups, where refugee moms can gather to learn how to cook healthy meals for their children, about breastfeeding and safe hygiene practices, and even how to start a business and manage the funds they earn.

Source: Action Against Hunger. Read full article here.
21 June, 2017