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Add to Preferred SourcesConcluding a five-day trip to Uganda, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency’s Deputy High Commissioner Kelly T. Clements expressed appreciation to Uganda for its open door policy for refugees and urged more global solidarity for the Ugandan people currently hosting more than 1.2 million refugees.
“I’ve been extremely impressed at how Uganda’s inclusive policies have improved the lives of refugees and the communities hosting them,” said Clements of her visit. “Uganda represents the Global Compact in action, but the country can’t do it alone. More global support is needed, particularly in the areas of education, economic opportunities and the environment.”
Education is a major priority in the Uganda refugee response for 2019 and beyond. More than half of refugee children and over one-third of Ugandan children in refugee-hosting areas are out of school.
In Palorinya refugee settlement in Moyo district, Clements met with teachers, students and their parents and noted the myriad of challenges they face.
“We all want to prevent a generation of young people from being lost because they feel the future holds so little for them,” said the Deputy High Commissioner. “It is in places like Palorinya that more global solidarity with countries and people hosting refugees must be demonstrated.”
As part of a focus on education, Clements announced that UNHCR would re-allocate of 100,000 USD to ensure young students can continue studying in the secondary school in the Palorinya refugee settlement.
The funds will cover school fees for more than 500 refugee and Ugandan youth who cannot afford to stay in school otherwise. This new support will also help to improve conditions in secondary schools and provide small, but critical supplies that can affect school attendance, like sanitary pads for female students.
The Deputy High Commissioner’s visit highlights UNHCR’s priorities and needs for Uganda’s nearly 1.2 million refugees coming from South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Somalia and Rwanda living across 30 settlements and Kampala.
Original source: UNHCR
Published on 12 March 2019