Written by Catherine Ntabadde
203 children below the age of 5 years are among the 917 Congolese refugees that have crossed to Uganda since July 2011. The refugees are received and registered by Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) volunteers at the URCS Kisoro Branch.
Most of the volunteers came through Nteko boarder, according to Branch Manager Johnson Kyomukama. At Nteko, the refugees are received by URCS volunteers who carry out on spot assessment.
They are later transported to the transit camp set up at URCS Kisoro Branch by UNHCR. At the transit centre, the refugees are screened by Office of Prime Minister.
URCS is providing tracing services, cooking food for the refugees, sensitization about proper hygiene and coordinating with other stakeholders.
The refugees who spend a day or two at the URCS Kisoro transit camp are then transported to Orukiinga camp by UNHCR.