Some families have been here for close to ten years. When they came, it was a small settlement, with very few homes. Now, Bidi Bidi in the Yumbe district of Northern Uganda is home to more than 270,000 refugees.
Most of the inhabitants of the clusters of mud-brick houses that now make up one of the largest refugee settlements on earth came from South Sudan, fleeing the violence in their own country and bringing with them stories of indescribable horror.
In Uganda, refugees and asylum seekers are provided for in generous national legislation, which gives them access to the national health and education systems, the right to work and move freely throughout the country, a small plot of land to farm and, until recently, food and financial support from the government. And though many people here long to return home (home is always home, after all), while they wait and pray for peace, the settlement has, more and more, begun to resemble a sprawling city.
What there is, and what there isn’t
Across the five residential zones, there are varying degrees of infrastructure. In places, there are schools, churches, music and arts centres, permanent water systems and even some employment opportunities.
However, for most people in Bidi Bidi, the daily challenges are pressing and ever-present: poor sanitation and the health risks that come with that; unpredictable food supplies; difficulty accessing health clinics; extreme weather events; and a lack of income-generating activities or ways to get vocational training.
Among the refugee settlers in Bidi Bidi are people who were community leaders, lab technicians, business owners and health workers in South Sudan, yet here they have to find new ways to earn money and find food.
Many people here constantly face hunger as a looming reality. And a large number of these are children – some who were born in Bidi Bidi, along with those who came from across the border, fleeing the violence – many losing parents or whole families in severely traumatic events along the way.