You may not have heard of Bidi Bidi. A few short months ago it didn’t exist.
It has very quickly become the second largest refugee camp in the world. This summer it was a huge, empty, arid patch of land nearby the small Ugandan border town of Yumbe. But today it is home to some 270,000 refugees, most of whom have fled the violence and upheaval in South Sudan.
ARC’s team is responsible for Zone 5 of the camp, providing protection and other support to residents of Bidi Bidi (it takes 1 hour to drive across Zone 5, alone!). We’re providing post-trauma counseling, working to prevent violence in the camp and helping run the reception center – the place where every refugee first arrives at Bidi Bidi. The camp materialized so quickly and so many people have come and continue coming, humanitarian groups are still hustling to make available all the critical services that are needed.
ARC’s team in Bidi Bidi refugee settlement includes 25 volunteers. Some are refugees and some are Ugandan. The Ugandan volunteers come from all over the country, as far away as Mbale (an 8+ hour bus ride) and as close as Yumbe which is just down the road. Every morning they gather and – after an hour’s drive – they are dropped off one by one, section by section, to meet the community and help them understand and get access to services.
Everyday, as they go out to the community to meet refugee families and hear what they need, our staff and volunteers in Bidi Bidi see small ways that they could make a big difference. Here are some examples of the small projects they’ve completed that have really made an impact for the people who’ve found a haven at Bidi Bidi settlement:
