Itambabiniga is one of the villages in Kyaka settlement camp and has a population of 2500 people, the majority being new arrival refugees from Congo.
Since January 2022, there has been a rise in refugee influx at Kyaka due to the security situation in the neighboring country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The reception capacity of the host communities has become strained, especially due to lack of basic social services like clean water. As a result, not only the new arrivals, but also the people who have been living there -whether it be the refugee communities or the host communities- are in dire need of help. Water, which is a communal resource, is so crucial to ones’ lives, that when it is inadequate, it leads to deterioration of health and hygiene environment, and it even leads to disputes among people fighting over the scarce resource. The number of hand pumps and water points in Kyaka Settlement Camp are very limited. This situation leaves many with no choice but to fetch water from other sources like ponds. Women and children who are often responsible for fetching water face risks of encountering gender-based violence (GBV) because they must walk a long distance to get to the water points. Therefore, safe access to water is indispensable to maintaining life, peaceful co-existence, protection, and safety. Furthermore, water is needed for cleaning and bathing, for one to live a healthy and sanitary life. Many new arrivals, especially persons with specific needs (PSNs) like elderly persons, persons with disabilities, and female-headed households, do not possess latrines on their premises, therefore, they practice open defecation. This worsens the quality of water that people are collecting from surface ponds and other unprotected wells.
Pictured: Claudius is 14 years old. He completed Primary 7 last year, but unfortunately he could not join secondary school. His family could no raise the needed school fees because Claudius always gets sick with Typhoid and his family spends much money on treating him and his other siblings. This dirty water causes the Typhoid.