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Plans by a United Nations agency to cut food aid from July 1 for refugees in Uganda, Africa’s biggest refugee host, are expected to worsen their struggle with food shortages from climate change. The U.N.’s World Food Program says aid cuts leave them no choice but to help only the most vulnerable. Halima Athumani reports from Palorinya refugee camp in Obongi district, Uganda.
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LanguageEnglish
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((PLAYBOOK SLUG: UGANDA REFUGEES CLIMATE CHANGE (TV/R)
HEADLINE: Aid Cuts, Climate Change Hit South Sudanese Refugees in Uganda
TEASER:
PUBLISHED AT: 6/27/2023 at 4:40 p.m.
BYLINE: HALIMA ATHUMANI
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: OBONGI, UGANDA
VIDEOGRAPHER: FRANCIS MUKASA
VIDEO EDITOR: Schearf; caw
SCRIPT EDITORS:
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA,
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO X
TRT: 2:33
VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen
TYPE: TVR
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO)) [[ Plans by a United Nations agency to cut food aid from July 1 for refugees in Uganda, Africa’s biggest refugee host, are expected to worsen their struggle with food shortages from climate change. The U.N.’s World Food Program says aid cuts leave them no choice but to help only the most vulnerable. Halima Athumani reports from Palorinya refugee camp in Obongi district, Uganda. ]]
((NARRATOR))
In Uganda’s Palorinya refugee camp, gardens are filled with corn - but there will be little to harvest.
Father of nine Idd Alfred says in the past, his garden yielded two bags of corn.
But with the prolonged drought this year, he expects nothing.
((Idd Alfred, South Sudanese Refugee Farmer, (Kuku, 7secs))
“When you look at these crops, they are not drought resistant. They need constant rain for a good harvest. Without rain, I won’t get anything; they will die completely.”
((NARRATOR))
The U.N.’s refugee agency says Uganda is home to more than 1.5 million refugees and asylum seekers, making it the largest host in Africa.
Uganda’s government provides each family with a 9-by-9-meter plot for a house and a small garden.
But it’s not enough to survive for refugee families like mother of five Naima Pony, who treks to the border with South Sudan to buy food.
((Naima Pony, South Sudanese Refugee, (English, 8secs))
“The food is very little. My children are now growing, they are eating too much, even though there is no food. Food is not enough.”
((NARRATOR))
The U.N. says it has only received 27% of the funding needed for refugees in Uganda, so it has been forced to switch – for the first time - to targeted assistance from July 1.
Households considered most vulnerable, such as those headed by women or the chronically ill, will receive 60 percent of the recommended monthly food ration.
Other refugees will get just 30 percent.
The World Food Program’s deputy director for Uganda, Marcus Prior, says officials will keep a close watch for serious, negative impacts from the food cuts.
((Marcus Prior, WFP Deputy Director-Uganda, (English))
“We will look at things like people’s food consumption. We will look at malnutrition rates. We’ll look at the kind of survival strategies that refugees resort to if they are in difficulties. And this will allow us to take our case to those who support the World Food Program and the refugee response more broadly.”
((NARRATOR))
Refugee leader Kenyi Moses says he is already seeing an impact from the drought and food aid cuts – some refugees are leaving.
((Moses Kenyi, South Sudanese Refugee Leader, (English))
“Most of our households right now were left in the hands of young children. Most of our people have gone back to South Sudan, well knowing the situation there is not favoring. (favorable) These children alone, cannot be heads of the family.”
((NARRATOR))
The World Food Program in Uganda says it needs at least $64 million to support the refugees until the end of the year.
((Halima Athumani, for VOA News, Palorinya refugee camp in Obongi district, Uganda))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateJune 27, 2023 16:55 EDT
BylineHALIMA ATHUMANI
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
