EU announces €34 million in humanitarian aid to Uganda and Kenya
The Commission has released today €34 million in humanitarian assistance for the most vulnerable populations in Uganda and Kenya, with a special focus on displaced populations in both countries.
"Kenya and Uganda are among Africa's major hosts of refugees, with millions urgently needing assistance. The EU stands in solidarity and is committed to support the most vulnerable refugees. Our new funding will help both those already displaced and the new arrivals into Kenya and Uganda," said Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides.
Out of the funding announced today, €24 million will go to Uganda, the largest refugee-hosting country in Africa. The assistance will prioritise emergency situations and new arrivals among displaced populations, with a special focus on the many refugees from South Sudan and the increasing influx of Congolese refugees. EU aid will provide emergency health and food assistance, water and sanitation, as well as protection and education in emergencies through accelerated learning programmes for children whose education has been disrupted by conflict and displacement.
€10 million in emergency assistance will go to Kenya to support refugees living in Dadaab and Kakuma camps, providing protection to the most vulnerable, as well as granting access to quality primary education. EU assistance will also support programmes to tackle the consequences of the prolonged drought in parts of the country. The assistance in Kenya comes on top of the €1.5 million released in May to assist the victims of the flooding that wreaked havoc in the country.
Background
EU humanitarian support in the two countries goes hand in hand with longer-term development strategies to find durable solutions and support the self-reliance of refugees.
With nearly 1.5 million refugees (mostly from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo), Uganda is the largest recipient refugee country in Africa. Refugees in Uganda are free to move and work and are entitled to land to build a home on and grow food. However, Uganda's progressive refugee policy is under increasing pressure due to the scale of the crisis, and services are overstretched while available land is dwindling. In 2017 alone, the European Commission allocated €65 million in humanitarian aid to meet the refugees' basic needs, in addition to €20 million from the EU Emergency Trust Fund to help refugees gain more self-reliance. The funding aims to address both emergency and early recovery needs.
Kenya continues to host more than 450,000 refugees, mostly from Somalia and South Sudan. Additionally, recurrent and prolonged climate shocks cause food and nutrition crises. The EU has allocated over €130 million in humanitarian assistance to Kenya since 2012.
For More Information
IP/18/4191
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