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Emergency Response on the Kenya-Uganda Border

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FEBRUARY 2008 — Following post-election violence in December/January 2008, more than 6,000 Kenyans fled to Uganda to seek refuge. In response, community organizations in Busia and Malaba, Uganda, mobilized themselves to assist the refugees by providing food, clothes and HIV/AIDS services.

These organizations are ROADS community "clusters"—associations of like-minded community-based organizations reaching specific populations.

displaced children

Reaching out
Until being moved to refugee camps in Mulanda, Uganda, about 30 kilometers from the Kenyan border, approximately 3,000 people were being sheltered at Busia Integrated Primary School and St. Stephens Church (Malaba).

In Malaba, peer facilitators with the youth cluster conducted sessions with Kenyans from across the border, gave magnet theatre performances at St. Stephens, and linked Kenyans to services provided by an outreach clinic set up by Malaba Health Centre 3.

The Malaba low-income cluster for women distributed condoms to Kenyans at St. Stephens and opened its offices to refugees, enabling them to access HIV information and community services.

In Busia, the Red Cross, which leads the youth cluster, has been coordinating the emergency response. Through the clusters, Red Cross mobilized community assistance including refugee registration and material support (food, soap, etc.).

Learning lessons
Although cluster model was developed through ROADS to expand community-based HIV and AIDS programs, communities are using this model to organize collective responses to other issues, including emergencies, environment and governance.