ACT News Update

Uganda 02/05

LWF, a member of the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, which has been assisting internally displaced persons (IDPs) and Sudanese refugees in the area, say that a significant number of the people displaced have settled in Dzaipi village, where the population is now estimated to be 6,000 persons, including the people newly displaced. 

According to the UN, estimates put those displaced by the conflict at more than 1.6 million people in northern and eastern Uganda.

Staggering figures matched in scale by the needs of the people living in a region largely invisible to the world, and as a result, forgotten. Meeting people's humanitarian needs comes with its own set of challenges. A case in point is accessibility to clean, fresh drinking water. The people of Dzaipi village get their water from five boreholes now. Five sources of water for 6,000 people. This works out at about 1,200 people relying on each borehole for their water supply. (SPHERE standards proposed by the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response recommend a ratio of 250 persons per borehole). Were these standards to be met, LWF-Uganda/ACT reports that it would mean sinking an additional 20 boreholes to serve the community fully.

In a perfect world that would happen, but northern Uganda is about as far from a perfect world as one can get. Poverty is extreme. Local infrastructure can at best be described as fragile. And, there is the constant threat of attack from the LRA—a rebel force that is part army, part cult—which is known for its merciless tactics and large-scale abductions of children in particular to swell the ranks of its fighting force.

LWF-Uganda/ACT reports that it can respond immediately with non-food items that will including jerrycans, blankets, cooking utensils, mosquito nets (initially for use by children), as well as food, if needed, and depending on World Food Program's response regarding food distribution.

LWF-Uganda/ACT has also done a quick assessment to determine water and sanitation needs and has scheduled a meeting with local authorities to determine how best to meet any needs. The assessment team says that sanitation needs in Dzaipi were already cause for concern, even before the latest arrival of IDPs.

The recent attack on the community did not suddenly bring on a new emergency. This is a crisis that has existed for a long time, but even small numbers of IDPs seeking refuge in the village can tip the balance of a community already living on the edge.

"LWF-Uganda/ACT is strategically placed to provide support and assistance to the IDPs and Sudanese refugees, as well as the local communities. However, attacks such as these increase the needs of those affected, while putting stress on our capacity to respond locally. Steps are being taken to maintain and increase our response capacity," says the program coordinator for LWF's Department of World Service, John Damerell.

LWF Uganda/ACT's task now is to explore, along with members of the community, ways in which everyone can work together to solve a very real, immediate problem for people.