United States Announces Nearly $14 Million in New Refugee Assistance, is Largest Humanitarian Donor in Uganda
KAMPALA, Uganda, September 17, 2024 – The United States has announced an additional $14 million in humanitarian assistance for refugees and their host communities in Uganda. This funding brings the total humanitarian aid provided by the U.S. in Uganda to over $83 million for the fiscal year 2024.
The U.S. government will channel this support through organizations such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Food Program, the International Organization for Migration, and various non-governmental organizations.
As the largest donor of humanitarian assistance in Uganda, the U.S. provides approximately half of all humanitarian funding in the country. The nearly $14 million announced today was contributed over the past month and comes from the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.
This new humanitarian assistance will fund programs in ten refugee settlements in Uganda, as well as for urban refugees living in Kampala. These programs will provide critical education, livelihoods, mental health and psychosocial support, and protection services for refugees and their Ugandan host communities.
U.S. Ambassador William Popp said, “From assisting farmer groups in Bidibidi, to employing protection case workers in Kiryandongo, to supporting secondary education in Adjumani, we are proud to be Uganda’s largest partner in humanitarian assistance, as well as the largest funder of UNHCR, IOM, and WFP.”
Ambassador Popp added that this is part of the U.S.’s decades-long partnership with the Ugandan people and commitment to help vulnerable refugees worldwide.
The United States’ humanitarian funding is designed to benefit both refugees and the Ugandan communities hosting them. Every program includes support for the surrounding communities, ensuring local input and generating employment for Ugandans.
All refugee-serving facilities are also open to Ugandan citizens, with millions of Ugandans benefiting every year from the health care, education, clean water, and jobs training that U.S. funding enables.
The United States remains in partnership with the people of Uganda and will continue to work together to ensure the well-being of vulnerable refugees in the country.
