A young boy peers out from a truck carrying refugees from the border of South Sudan to the Nyumanzi transit camp in north Uganda. According to UNHCR more than 81,000 South Sudanese refugees have arrived in Adjumani, Arua and Kiryandongo districts since the influx to Uganda began on 16 December.
A young mother and her children arrive to Dzaipi refugee camp in a truck. Red Cross volunteer David Aliar from South Sudan arrived the same way only weeks earlier. “These trucks usually carry goods so it was good cover. When you entered the truck you could step on another person. All you could think of was just to get to where you needed to be. It didn’t matter that you had no air to breathe or couldn’t sit, that’s not the problem, so long as they bring you to where your life could be better,”
Thon Garang digs a latrine for his family. The sanitation situation is one of the biggest challenges in the refugee camp. “The onset of the rainy season is a major humanitarian concern. The lower part of Nyumanzi is in a flood plain and refugees might have to evacuate after everything they have been through. The area usually gets flooded and this in the worst case mean the outbreak of serious waterborne diseases such as cholera”, says Davies Okoko, field manager for Plan in Uganda.
A young boy peers out from a truck carrying refugees from the border of South Sudan to the Nyumanzi transit camp in north Uganda. According to UNHCR more than 81,000 South Sudanese refugees have arrived in Adjumani, Arua and Kiryandongo districts since the influx to Uganda began on 16 December.
South Sudanese refugees struggle to adjust to life in Uganda
Escalating violence in South Sudan has given rise to massive population displacement both within South Sudan and into neighboring countries. Since the beginning of December 2013, the influx of refugees into Uganda has continued to increase, leaving tens of thousands of people in dire need of emergency medical care, shelter, food, water and adequate sanitation facilities. The arrival of the rain season is the cause of great concern among organisations currently working in Adjumani district as flooding could lead to the spread of waterborne diseases such as cholera. Photojournalists Kajsa Sjölander and Will Rose captured these images while working for Plan International and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Adjumani district, Uganda.
Portraits from Adjumani, Uganda
A broad selection of images from the refugee camps bordering South Sudan. Captured while working for Plan International and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Adjumani district.
Sarah's journey - South Sudan to Baratuku refugee camp, Uganda
16 year old Sarah from South Sudan describes how it was to flee from the war, life in Baratuku refugee camp over the border in Uganda and her dreams for the future.
Baratuku Refugee camp Uganda - Interview with Plan International
Emergency Programma Manager for Plan International Davies Okoko talks about the current situation in the camps and his fears for the future.
Two girls forced to flee from South Sudan - Short film with interviews
Separated from their parents during the conflict, South Sudan's teenage refugee girls are taking on the role of mothers to their younger siblings in the Uganda camps. Getting children back to school -- and normality -- is key if the girls are to escape the burden of early parenthood, and survive the crisis with their education intact.
Emma* and Kathryn* fled from their homes in South Sudan with their younger brothers when the war came. Now they are alone in Baratuku refugee camp in northern Uganda, where Plan is providing crucial aid. They have been here for over a month, and they don't know if they will ever see their parents again.
*Girls' names have been changed to protect their identities
