Refugee Assist Program

EMERGENCY AND HUMANITARIAN AID PROGRAM

Refugee Assist Program

Based in Dadaab Refugee Camp

Since 1992

Overview

In Dadaab, CARE International in Kenya CIK through her Refugee Assistance Programme (RAP) has been the lead implementing partner for UNHCR, among other partners, in the three refugee camps since 1992, at the inception of the refugee camps along the Somalia border.

Dadaab refugee complex is approximately 80 km from the Somalia border, it consists of three camps namely; Ifo, Dagahaley and Hagadera with a population of 223,420 refugees and asylum seekers. The government insistence on the closer of Dadaab refugee camp, has so far seen UNHCR voluntarily repatriated 81,024 refugees to Somalia from 2014 to July 2020.

Refugees depend on UN agencies for relief supplies and specifically food and non-food items. This dependency is perpetuated by the Kenyan Parliament Refugee Act (2006) and particularly the encampment policy that is very restrictive in most terms. Though the Refugee Act provides a framework for enhancing human rights in the refugee situation, it nevertheless prohibits free movement of refugees in Kenya. A refugee requires a permit from the Kenya government to visit other parts of the country.

They are confined in camps, thus reducing opportunities for creative livelihood engagement for income generation. As a result, majority of refugees if not supported adequately, may leave in abject poverty, unable to access adequate and nutritious food for their growth and that of their children. The majority depend on international agencies and particularly WFP and UNHCR for relief supplies, which in most cases is not adequate.

The refugees in Dadaab camps are predominantly Somalis (98%) followed by Ethiopians with the rest coming from Burundi, Congo, and South Sudan comprising of people from rich and diverse socio-cultural backgrounds, majority of the refugees are Muslims.

There are various social amenities within each camp such as hospitals, satellite clinics, a food distribution center, schools (both Primary and Secondary including Vocational Training Centers) and a market. The area is semi-arid prone to recurrent drought and low economic viability, further complicated by the Encampment Policy that restricts refugees’ movement in and out of camps.

233,832 Refugees

46,641 Households

16,318 Undocumented

IMPACT STORIES

UBAH OMAR ALI

38 year old Ubah Omar Ali is a female 'block' leader in Dagahaley camp, Dadaab.

"I really like my work. What I do, I do for my children and my community. My work has direct impacts on people and it is something I can see. It makes me happy to remove problems from my community. My favourite part of the role is encouraging girls to go to school. Education starts at home; if a mother is educated then her children - the product of her - will grow up educated. I have seen a lot of changes in the camp - for example in the interaction with different communities - we talk much more with people from other cultures now and females are being given a chance to lead now. I've adapted to life here and it would be very hard for me to go back now."

Dadaab

Food Distribution

In Partnership with WFP, CARE distributes up to 700 Metric Tons of food to 46,641 households. This aimed at making sure the refuguees have the most basic food items that inculde Rice, Yellow Spilt Peas, Vegetable oil and supercereals while through empowerment programs the refuguess are able to supplement or add on the basic items distributed.