Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kampala (Agenzia Fides) - "If the refugee leaders share what they have learned in the workshop on their rights and obligations with just 20 members of their communities, JRS will have offered more than 600 refugees and asylum seekers the essential tools they need to integrate into their host societies", JRS Eastern Africa Communications Officer, Angelika Mendes, told the Dispatches Newsletter that is sent to Agenzia Fides.
Ms. Mendes was referring to the workshop organized a week earlier by JRS, in cooperation with a number of refugee groups and organisations in the Ugandan capital, Kampala. The event, facilitated by Mr. Godwin Buwa, a lawyer from the partner organization, the Refugee Law Project, offered 30 refugee leaders, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Eritrea and Ethiopia, the opportunity to learn more about their rights and obligations.
The workshop opened by introducing participants to the theory and terminology of forced migration, asylum seekers, refugees and the related legal background. Subsequently, issues relating to the asylum process, the possibility of accessing education and training services and employment were explained in detail. Following a number of specific questions, Mr. Buwa also offered the participants information regarding owning property and assets, particularly the laws relating to property titles. The Refugee Law Project lawyer then explained the roles of the Ugandan government and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in refugee protection.
According to UNHCR estimates, there are more than 140,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Uganda. Most of the refugees live in eleven UNHCR-supported settlements, but Uganda's liberal refugee policy allows those who can support themselves to live outside the settlements. For this reason, Kampala hosts 20,000 refugees and asylum seekers.
The JRS Urban Program has been assisting vulnerable asylum seekers and refugees residing in Kampala since 1988. In 2009, the program focused on three objectives: emergency aid, advocacy and education. More than 1,300 refugees and asylum seekers have so far received some form of emergency assistance for housing, food, healthcare and transport. JRS Staff also provide a referral service for victims of torture and those in need of legal assistance, as well as participation in workshops and other awareness raising activities. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 26/11/2009)
