Humanitarian Aid and Welfare Support

INTENT
Secure the lives and livelihood of the communities most affected and least prepared to deal with disasters and socio-economic disruptions.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE
To mitigate disasters and socio-economic disruptions of the most affected communities.

RATIONALE
With support from UNDP, Uganda has launched the “National Risk and Vulnerability Atlas” – a document that identifies areas in Uganda that are prone to disasters, the extent of the hazard, the probability and frequency of occurrence and magnitude of their impacts. According to the Atlas, Uganda is vulnerable to seven disasters including; flooding, drought, hailstorms,  windstorms, landslides, earthquakes and  lightening. The most at risk / critical facilities were identified as; the general population, health centres, schools, residential areas, roads, warehouses and water supply systems.

Disasters are putting immense pressure on social and human development, with Uganda categorised  as one of the most vulnerable countries ranking 14th among the vulnerable and 48th least ready country to respond particularly to hydro-meteorological hazards. The Atlas calls for building of community resilience through improved risk information and knowledge generation, additional disaster funding, policy responses and reducing human and economic loss from natural hazards, among other interventions.

The Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (2016) shows that the number of persons affected by natural disasters is rising from 71,000 in 2016 to 341,222 in 2017. This coupled with a significant population of orphans estimated at 228,563 (in schools by 2016)  and a population living below the poverty line of 21.4% (2017) makes the need for re-investing  in humanitarian aid and welfare support critical to Uganda’s attainment of NDP III and the Sustainable development goals.

STRATEGY

  1. Building the capacity of local communities and institutions to identify and manage natural disasters based on the Government’s National Risk and Disaster Atlas;
  2. Collaborating with the Red crescent/Cross and other humanitarian organisations to deliver timely support to communities affected by disasters;
  3. Providing welfare support to deserving individuals, families and communities to mitigate socio-economic hardships;
  4. Promoting charity and voluntary work as means of creating social justice, equity and human relationships.