Cross-border Refugees-Returnees Need Assessment (Palabek Camp Lamwo District and Ikotos County) Photo: Returnees Children footing to Ikotos Town Papa John Martin Sebastian Monitoring & Evaluation Officer, AVSI-Foundation South Sudan. Contact: Email address: [email protected] Mobile Phone: +211929840006 Skype: papajohnmartin30 Ikotos County, Torit State ICRROSS (Cross border intervention for Refugees Returnees and South Sudanese Host Community, Palabek Camp Lamwo District and Ikotos County) 1 Table of Context I. ACRONYMS: ……………………………………………………………………………….…………………. 2 II. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: ………………………………………………………………………………….. 3 III. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: …………………………………………………………………………………. 3 IV. Introduction: ………………………………………………………………………………………………... 5 (a) Background: ………………………………………………………………………………………… 5 1. Methodology: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5 2. Objectives: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 6 3. Key Findings: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 6 A. Household Information: …………………………………………………………………….. 6 B. Relatives in Ikotos County: …………………………………………………………………. 7 C. Experience of returning back to South Sudan: ……………………………………. 8 D. Plan for the Future: ……………………………………………………………………………. 9 4. Recommendation: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 10 I. ACRONYMS List of Acronyms ICRROSS: Cross border Intervention for Returnees Refugees of South Sudan and the Host community FE: Financial Education CEVSI: Cooperazione E Sviluppo AVSI: Association of Volunteers in International Service CBI: Cash base intervention AICS: The Italian Agency for Development Cooperation M&E: Monitoring and Evaluation FSL: Food Security and Livelihood. WASH: Water Sanitation and Hygiene. S.A.N.I: Southern African Nutrition Initiatives IGA: Income generating activities II. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 2 I would like to thanks first and foremost the twenty five Refugees respondents who agreed to take the survey and contributed valuable information and Italian Agency for Development Cooperation for funding, I would also like to extend my thanks to Cesvi Uganda and AVSI Foundation for coming with the initiative of conducting Refugees-Returnees need assessment. I would like to acknowledge the support of Bruno Baroni Nazim (AVSI, M&E Quality Assurance), Federica Raggi (AVSI,FLS/WASH Project Manager), Mariam Joshi (AVSI, M&E Coordinator), and Samantha Ponte (Cesvi ProjectManager) during the exercise and not forgetting Luca Scarpa (AVSI Foundation Country Representative). III. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In January 2020, Cesvi and AVSI Foundation Despite the deteriorating security conducted an assessment in Palabek Camp Lamwo environment and food security within Ikotos District, Northern Uganda. The exercise is Returnees County, the situation of Returnees demonstrated a Refugees need assessment to identify the mixed challenges and opportunities in both side challenges faced; while travelling back to Torit Uganda and South Sudan overtime. For instance, State (Ikotos County, when they first returned in high engagement of Refugees children in education their village, after few weeks/months being at compared with when they are in South Sudan and home and on their way back to the camps. Food Aid. The study of the key informants indicate The survey provide a significant perspective on currently Returnees are living in their places of current population mobility trends and actionable origin, which is a good indication that people are data regarding assistance needs, protection and returning to their areas of origin. However, they are vulnerability. facing difficult condition in their villages or towns The key informants reported to have faced they have returned to. Challenges includes; the lack challenging situation both in Uganda and South of job and livelihood opportunities, limited access Sudan; Lack of access to proper health and human to basic services, insecurity, lack of land and sickness, they raise their concerns that they are housing/shelter which limits the potential of prescribed only one kind of drug for various Returnees to re-establish families and make future sickness, rapid death of children, lack of access to investment, which is essential for the sustainability land and access to employment opportunities are of their reintegration. all critical challenges jeopardizing the sustainability Host communities have a positive views of the of Refugees. In additional economic opportunities Returnees. Although the solidarity between the and death remain a major challenge for the entire Returnees and the Host communities can show Key informants with larger number of Refugees some strains after large scale returns in the long flow back by the end of last year 2019. run. Scheme to take notes of respondents’ stories; 3 THINGS/PEOPLE/EVENTS THAT THINGS/PEOPLE/EVENTS THAT CONVINCED OR HELPED THE PERSON CONVINCED OR HELPED THE PERSON TO TO RETURN BACK HOME IN TORIT GO BACK TO THE REFUGEE CAMPS IN STATE (PULLING FACTORS) UGANDA (PUSHING FACTORS) Cultivation Free Education Funerals Food Assistance (Relief) in the Sickness, since some still camp. have that believes of Hunger situation in South Sudan. 1). IN THE witchcraft and herbalist Separate families as they left REFUGEE CAMP Celebrate Christmas some family members Inadequate land for Safety environment in the Camp Cultivation in term of security. Influence from the neighbors Better access to basic services Lack of income source in the Friends or family living in the camp Camp Separate families, they wish Lack of support from the family to visit other family member especially the widows members in South Sudan. and widower Lack of access to Delay of the formation of Unity employment Opportunities state and signing of revitalized in the Camp peace agreement Restriction and Conflict Shortage of food to sustain related to firewood and them. cutting down of trees Loss of alternative livelihood like between the Refugees and livestock due to raiding the host community Fear of conflict due to criminal act of some few village members 2). WHILE Lack of means transport TRAVELLING No accommodation especially in Tseretenya as they just sleep under the BACK TO TORIT veranda, STATE (IKOTOS Long distance footing COUNTY) Sickness of children They also encountered protection risk of crime like robbery and rape Refugee cards are taken at the border Hard to travel with children. 3) WHEN THEY FIRST Lack of safe Shelter as they have abandoned their own house longtime RETURNED IN THEIR Lack of cooking utensils and other non-food items as some of cooking VILLAGE utensils are been taken from the border. Lack of Income source 4 Sickness of children related to poor feeding 4). AFTER FEW Shortage of food WEEKS/MONTHS AT Lack of agricultural inputs like seeds and tools HOME. Inadequate labor as some of the family members are left in the Camp Lack of access to employment opportunities. No means of Communication with the rest of the family members in the Camp Engaging other alternative of livelihood like selling firewood, pole and casual labor. 5) ON THE WAY BACK Means of transport (Private and public) from Ikotos Town to Madi-Opei Centre TO THE CAMP. Photo: Returnees eating lunch in Tseretenya South Sudan Check Point Introduction AVSI South Sudan and Cesvi had a Cross-border Project for Refugees, Returnees and the host community, Palabek Camp Lamwo District and Ikotos County, implementing mainly Food security and Livelihood, education and WASH, with some components of Cash Base Intervention support(Cash for Work and Financial Education), 5 Hence need for conducting Refugees-Returnees need assessment aimed at assessing what challenges they faced: a) while travelling back to Ikotos County; b) when they first returned to their village; c) after a few weeks/ months being at home; d) on their way back to the camps. Additionally, we want to know why the returned home, and reflect with these people to identify: 1) what would have made them stay; 2) who they think should have done a better job at helping them, but also the context-specific causes of such needs. This report intends to make such knowledge available to the community and stakeholders of Lamwo District and Ikotos County. Strengthening the Resilience of Pastoral and Agro-Pastoral Communities in South-Sudan cross-border areas with Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda S.A.N.I. – Food Security, Nutrition and Hygiene for the communities in Eastern Equatoria area, South Sudan ICRROSS Cross-border intervention for Refugees Returnees and South Sudanese Host Community Methodology The assessment was conducted based on (key informant interviews (KIIs), which include twenty (20) of south Sudanese refugees interviewed from six payams; Chahari Payam, Isoke Payam, Ikotos Payam, Imotong Payam, Losite Payam and Chorokol Payam. who have knowledge, either direct (they experienced) or indirect (their relatives experienced) of the challenges faced by people who voluntarily returned to South Sudan, in particular those who returned to Torit State (Greater Ikwoto County mainly). The study did not set out to produce statistically significant findings, but focused on identifying typical patterns of challenges at both household level and the County at large. Objective of the Assessment The objectives of these activities was; 1. To improve the support provided to returnees in South Sudan. 2. NOT to gain information regarding how to encourage refugees to return to South Sudan Among the refugees, we expect to find several people who attempted to return to Torit State (Greater Ikwoto County) but who later returned