“We make long lines because many of us want to use the comfort stations at the same time.” One of the refugees who requested to be kept anonymous expressed.
With the Congolese refugee influx at Nyakabande holding and transit centre, the pressure on resources is alarming.
One cannot traverse the transit without finding persons of concern spread out fully indulged in cooking food, playing, washing clothes and others trying to check into shelters which would then become their places of habitation for some days.
However, amidst the tensed atmosphere, CAFOMI is working together with UNHCR, Government of Uganda and partners to avail humanitarian assistance in terms of protection, WASH, psychosocial support, accommodation, medical care and distribution of core relief items to help the asylum seekers feel at home in a land that has generously hosted them when they needed refuge.
Nonetheless, there is still more that is needed to bridge and also eradicate the gaps in accommodation and WASH which are key to living a healthy life.
According to James Mundrugo, the WASH officer, CAFOMI, a lot still needs to be done in the area of provision of sanitation facilities. He clearly stated that they had just installed 43 mobile toilets out of the 200 that the team earlier on intended to install in order to meet the needs of thousands of refugees at Nyakabande holding center.
Nevertheless, UNHCR, MSF (Medicins Sans Frontieres) and CAFOMI have come up with interventions to help bridge the existing gap in managing human waste by constructing temporary latrines.
“With this intervention, at least the pressure on the already existing comfort stations will be dissolved though not to the fullest. This will also help eradicate open defecation within the holding center and also help maintain cleanliness.” Mundrugo stated.
There is still need for more shelters, water facilities and better waste management interventions at Nyakabande holding center to complement the already existing facilities. In case of any kind of assistance you may reach out to CAFOMI through francis.i@cafomi.org.