Chad The refugee crisis has not only affected Sudan but also affects Chad. The arriving of so many people is affecting the lifes of Chad citizens. Chad itself is a poor country as well. The move of refugees from Sudan to Chad has increased taxes for the citizens. Since refugees flee their homes leaving everything behind they have nothing when they come over the border. This puts a strain on the resources. The UNHCR estimates there to be more than 260,000 Sudanese refugees in Chad. Most of the refugees come from the region of Darfur, where at least 300,000 people were killed and 1.8 million people displaced. Many people from here have fled to Chad due to the help they recieve from the UNHCR organization. There are 12 camps placed along the Chadian-Sudanese border.
Each camp has a medical centre, school and a market, where refugees can buy and sell food and clothing. A program called the World Food Program (WFP) delivers food in truckloads that are distributed amongst the families. Tents are provided for each family including a fireplace for cooking and a storage space. However the camps do encounter some issues. These include education, STD's, water supply and security. The UNHCR in Chad is also working effectively on the security of the refugees, preventing human trafficking by armed groups. It has made great progress and many more refugees hope they can be freed and can live safely here in Chad. Refugees recieve several benifits like firewood etc from the camps but the Chadian people are complaining that they must supply themselves and that there aren't enough recourses to share. The international federation says that food is also a problem escalated by the refugee crisis. More than a third of the local people are undernourished which is a higher ratio than in the camps. More food is being supplied to refugees when their own people are struggling.
A third problem faced by Chadians is water supply. In order to provide for the refugees non-government organizations are diging up new wells for the camps. However this is causing the water tables to drop in these areas. An organization called the IRC is currently working and making progress in balancing the consumption of the water.
However Sudan and Chad help eachother out as Chad is also experiencing conflict leading to many refugees going vice versa to Sudan.
Kenya
Kenya is a great contributor in helping with the refugee crisis in the form of providing space. The town of Kakuma is a huge refugee camp holding 180,000 Sudanese refugees and 15,000 unacompanied minors. In total 55% of the refugees at this camp are children therefor they are given different treatment. It is situated in the northwestern Turkana County and takes up 12 square kilometer. Kakuma comprises 4 part (Kakuma I-IV) meaning there is a lot of place for refugees to come. Staff members stay outside of the camp in 3 sectors which are each placed near the camp so that if help is required it can be given immediately. However with Kenya being a poor country supplies in terms of housing are limited. The refugees are given a 4 by 5 plastic tarp with no self-supporting and no insulation, meaning the living conditions for the refugees are very low. However often the refugees use their surrounding as resources. Wood, mud and other natural materials are used to build huts and create accommodation.
Other than medical safety Kakuma is also very well protected and guarded place due to which many refugees come here to stay safe. Inside the camp the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) employ ex-military soldiers to patrol the camp and counter violent actions within the fences. These punish very striclty for crimes like, theft, battery, rape etc. A Kenyan police station stands just outside the entrance of the camp. They patrol the roads and keep non-refugees away from the camp as conflict may emerge. The Kenyan community take tradition very serious therefor they often don't co-operate with the refugees.
Another factor the Kakuma camp takes seriously is education. The camp contains 7 pre-schools, 21 primary schools and 4 secondary schools. From all the students 20% are girls. Although it is allowed in the camp to send girls to school, many families do not choose this path in fear that the girl will learn about family planning and contraceptions. However for these girls school is important as it is a means of getting out of family oppression.
Many refugees over the age of 25 choose to go here for different reasons unlike the children. All NGO's in the camp provide jobs for the refugees. However as Kenyan law prohibits the employment of refugees though, they are engaged on a voluntary basis and are paid an incentive. However the wage they earn is much less than the amount a Kenyan would earn doing the exact same job. Teachers in the camp earn 3,000 KSh whereas a regular teacher earns 12,000 KSh. The camp spends $66,000 on paying refugees per month. Depending on your occupation and your skills, you can earn less or more money than other refugees. For many of these camps, donations are the main source of funds to run them.
The Kenyans too are suffering through the refugee crisis. Kenya being a close neighbour to Sudan and South Sudan is afraid that trade, investments, infrastructure project etc will be affected. Kenyan nationals can lose their investments inSouth Sudans banking, insurance construction and others forms. Many Kenyan businesses have either closed or scaled down operations affecting the economy and increasing the unemployment rate. Exports to South Sudan made up 10.2% of Kenya's total export in Central Africa.