In a bid to help Uganda which is home to one of the largest numbers of refugees on the continent, the World Bank has approved a $256.54 Million support to the nation to cater to the livelihood of the refugees.
Uganda has been hit hard by the impacts of COVID19 and the World Bank has agreed to step in to bail out the East African country to provide for the refugees.
According to Bloomberg, Grants account for $153.92 million of the aid, which targets bolstering access to basic services, creating jobs and boosting the economic self-reliance of refugees and communities hosting them, the Washington-based lender’s Uganda office said in a statement. Refugees include those from South Sudan, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Eritrea, according to the government.
Recently, the United Nations declared that around the world, the number of refugees had gone up significantly. Although Uganda was not among the nations that have received a lot of new refugees, they have, however, seen new refugees from Congo and Tanzania enter the country.
And with the significant implications on the country’s finances brought about by COVID19, the financial aid from the World bank could be useful in feeding and accommodating the refugees.
Uganda is currently home to over 1.4 Million refugees which is a significant number for any nation on the continent.
The nation has already received support from the World bank of up to the tune of $500 Million which was to be used to address the Coronavirus pandemic.
Uganda that was in total lockdown for the months of March till May have now started to ease up on the lockdown with minimal movements.
The worry now is for the safety of the refugees who are at the border at Northern Uganda where a huge number of COVID19 cases are being registered from Elegu border entry from South Sudan.
World bank indicated that the financial aid would not just go to meet the feeding but also accommodation and health.
Also, read: UN Worried About the Increasing Number of Refugees Worldwide
