Meeting Hygiene and Housing Needs of South Sudanese Refugees in Northern Uganda
When the Battle of Juba began on July 7, 2016, thousands of South Sudanese people, largely women and children, were forced to flee their homes in and around the capital of Juba, South Sudan. Peace Winds responded immediately by assessing the needs of refugees arriving in northern Uganda, and since then, we have been working in three refugee settlements to meet the ongoing needs of new refugees there.
Since November 2022, Peace Winds’ women’s support center in the Imvepi refugee settlement began offering life skills training such as sewing, hairdressing and barbering, and soap making. The courses are aimed at decreasing gender-based violence (GBV) by helping women take a step toward increased social and economic participation as well as allowing participants to talk openly about GBV and the warning signs. Courses are taught by an instructor who specializes in gender-based violence and menstrual hygiene, so the training also works to increase menstrual hygiene education for women in the settlement.
In October 2022, Peace Winds began a new water supply and sanitation support project in the Chaka II refugee settlement, which has continued to accept large numbers of refugees for many years. To support incoming refugees, Peace Winds is working to repair and extend existing water wells and supply lines, construct additional toilets and handwashing stations in schools and homes, and educate residents on proper hygiene. Education topics include toilet use, handwashing, and menstruation hygiene. The project will mitigate the spread of disease and prevent women and children from having to walk for miles to retrieve water.
In 2021, Peace Winds opened two new women’s community centers in the Imvepi and Chaka II refugee settlements. Now, the centers continue to support women from the refugee camps and host communities by teaching vocational training in topics such as sewing, hairdressing, literacy, and accounting. Beneficiaries use these skills to find jobs and support their families and even to open their own small businesses.
Additionally, the Rhino refugee settlement in the northern province of Arua is still accepting a new influx of refugees, and housing development is an urgent issue. In response to this situation, Peace Winds is constructing new shelters and upgrading existing shelter for the elderly, people with disabilities, and families with children in the Imvepi refugee settlement also in Arua province.
