NGO appeals for nearly US $ 1m to support Kakuma refugees and host community

The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has appealed for nearly US $1 million to provide 87,000 refugees at Kakuma, northern Kenya, with humanitarian aid, and to address issues affecting peace, conflict resolution and reconciliation between the refugees and their host community. Most of the refugees are from southern Sudan, and have lived in Kakuma since 1992 when the camp was established following an influx of some 20,000 Sudanese asylum seekers, most of them unaccompanied boys, fleeing fighting between the Sudanese government and the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation/Movement/Army. In addition to providing assistance to the refugees, the Lutheran World Federation/World Service programme (LWS/WS) for Kenya and Sudan, also hopes to support the local Turkana community and minimise tension and fights between the community and the refugees. "The Turkana are among the poorest communities in Kenya, and assistance to the refugees is mainly seen [by the Turkana] as making the refugees better off than the local people. LWF/WS [is] working with UNHCR [Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees], and the Kenyan government have a moral obligation to also assist the Turkana around the camp with some basic social needs such as provision of clean water," LWF/WS said in a statement. The NGO said Kakuma camp was receiving about 800 new arrivals every month. "The current law of Kenya restricts refugees from employment in the formal sector, and therefore [they] fully depend on assistance given by the international community," the statement said. The funds are intended for secondary school and teacher training education, food and non-food items, water and sanitation, peace building and conflict resolution, community empowerment, and assistance to the host community over a 12-month period. Special focus would be directed at bridging the gap between the refugees and host community by promoting peaceful coexistence between the two communities and providing physical peace dividends in the form of water and grants for development projects in the host community, LWF/WS said. "Heightened violent conflict within the camp between the host community and the refugees has been experienced during 2003. Since the camp was established, there have always been isolated banditry attacks in the camp. However, the magnitude of violence and tension in 2003 had never been seen [before]. It led to the loss of 12 lives and displacement of refugees within the camp," it said.