Kampala, 30 July 2021 — The International Rescue Committee (IRC), in consortium with Medical Teams International (MTI), has provided extensive support in preparing and responding to COVID-19 across 17districts in Uganda. Through funding by the European Union (EU), the IRC has been able to rehabilitate local health facilities, support, and train local health workers, provide additional healthcare services to vulnerable populations and increase community awareness through educational work on COVID-19. The EU has donated a total of 8.15 million euros to support refugee response efforts between 2019 and 2021 through two EU-funded projects, helping refugees and Ugandans meet their basic needs for health and safety in times of emergency.
The IRC began providing humanitarian aid in Uganda in 1988 and has reached approximately 1.8 million people ever since. Ugandans have been working to rebuild and restore their lives and communities since 2006, reeling from almost two decades of internal conflict and violence. However, resources are scarce as the population continues to boom. Most recently, the country has been hosting almost 1 million refugees from South Sudan and over 400,000 refugees from DRC Congo, due to armed violence and political unrest since July 2016. With the COVID-19 pandemic, Uganda’s healthcare system, especially in refugee hosting districts, is now strained more than ever.
As the conditions in the country worsen due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the IRC has been scaling up its assistance and adapting activities to the current situation. Through EU funding, the IRC has been facilitating medical screening of newly-arrived refugees and training local healthcare workers on COVID-19 case management and infection prevention. Additionally, it has provided 972,301 individuals with primary healthcare consultations and helped educate and inform 559,425 more through risk communication and education awareness through bicycle drives, community dialogues, health education sessions at health facilities, and radio talk shows.
Caroline Lai, Deputy Director of Programs at the IRC in Uganda, said:
“COVID-19 has undoubtedly wreaked havoc on countless countries and communities across the world. However, as Ugandans have had to struggle through decades of conflict and precarity, this pandemic has taken an immense toll on the Ugandan population and healthcare system. Through the support of the EU, we have been able to support not only healthcare workers, but also communities on the ground in keeping the spread of the virus at bay.”