THE EDGE IN KYAKA II
In Uganda, thousands of Congolese refugee children in Kyaka II refugee camp are lacking vital opportunities for Early Childhood Development . |
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Host to the fastest growing refugee crisis in the world, Uganda is Africa’s leading refugee hosting country, and the third largest in the world. UNHCR estimates that Uganda’s total refugee and asylum-seeking population is now 1.3 million, over a quarter of whom have fled conflict, disease and human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Despite being leaders in refugee policy, services are overstretched and UNHCR Uganda is calling on international actors to step up their response. Kyaka II refugee camp receives 7% of arrivals, with over 65% being children who often suffer extreme trauma after witnessing the brutality of war and displacement. They face serious child protection risks and have nowhere safe to go during the day. A number of NGOs are providing primary education in Kyaka II, but early years education provision is patchy and limited for the thousands of the youngest refugee children, at a vital time in their development. |
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WHAT WE ARE DOING TO HELP?
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Centres will be safe spaces for an estimated 4,000 Congolese refugee children aged 3-6. Over three years, working with YIDA (Youth Initiative for Development in Africa), we will train 150 local refugees to teach, ensuring children are learning in their own language with familiar trusted adults.
Children will access early childhood education, trauma care, play and key health interventions, ensuring they have the best possible start in life. In the first pilot year, we will provide the best quality ECD training available in Uganda to 24 teachers from 8 pilot centres. The YIDA ECD Centre will be refurbished as a model for the further 30 Centres. In the following two years work will be replicated and buildings refurbished until all 30 communities are resourced to provide high quality early learning opportunities for their children. A core of this work will be the development of strong volunteer Centre Management Committees (CMC’s) to ensure community ownership. |
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“The focus of the project is equipping communities with the skills to run high quality centres so, should the situation improve in DRC, they will be able to replicate these centres when they return home.” Rachel Bentley - International Director |
LATEST STORIES
Developing ECD provision in Kyaka IIRead about our plans to support 30 refugee communities to develop high quality, cost effective ECD for their children.
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The Edge for DRC refugees4.5 million people are internally displaced, with an additional 825,002 seeking refuge in other countries. Find out about the plight of Congolese refugees in Uganda.
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Why ECD is vital for refugee childrenFind out why learning and support in the first five years of life is so important, especially for displaced children.
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