Oxfam in Uganda has launched an innovative project entitled Empowering Local and National Humanitarian Actors (ELNHA) that aims at strengthening the capacity of local and national humanitarian actors to take lead in Uganda’s humanitarian response. The project is premised on a study titled Fresh analysis of the Uganda humanitarian capacity, which involved a number of national actors including relevant government ministries, INGOs, private sector as well as a number of stakeholders across 7 districts. The study highlighted the fact that international actors dominate the humanitarian scene and there is need for all stakeholders, both local and international, to draw a plan that will actively involve more local and national actors in humanitarian planning, readiness and preparedness as well as to provide affordable and more sustainable humanitarian response.
The ELNHA project launch also comes at the back drop of an influx of South Sudan refugees to West Nile in the North western part of Uganda as fresh fighting broke out in July this year. With up to 6000 refugees coming into Uganda every day and up to 150,000 expected by the end of the year, the South Sudanese response is overstretched and underfunded. Humanitarian actors, many of them international, are struggling to give basics like clean water, food, health services as well as providing protection to the vulnerable such as women and children who form 97 percent of the refugees. This under -reported crisis highlights the need to empower local humanitarian actors who have local knowledge and understand the context of the crisis and can deliver more timely and cost effective assistance.
This is by no means the only crisis. Uganda hosts a total of over 500,000 refugees from neighboring DRC, Burundi, and Rwanda among others. Floods, landslides, drought, unpredictable weather patterns that affect small holder farmers and one of the highest population growth rates in the world are some of Uganda’s humanitarian crises.
Peter Kamalingin, Country Director Oxfam in Uganda noted that ‘Over the last 3-4 years, Oxfam in Uganda invested in pilot humanitarian capacity building for 15 local and national organizations across different parts of Uganda. Those partners, working closely with Oxfam have been very helpful in delivering timely and quality humanitarian services to people in need including during the influx of refugees from DRC in 2012/13, the influx of South Sudanese refugees since Dec 2013 to date. On the basis of this pilots here in Uganda as well as in many other parts of the world where Oxfam works, Oxfam designed a three year project to take this approach to scale and especially to bring on board more partners and stakeholders including national governments and institutions, local governments, International NGOs, local NGOs, private sector, and donors.
ELNHA, a three-year project funded by IKEA Foundation in Netherlands envisages that by the end of 2018, local and national humanitarian actors will have the capacity to design, deliver and lead in humanitarian preparedness and response in Uganda. Also, these actors will have the space and power to influence the humanitarian agenda in the country while large international donors will have tailored their policies; strategies and systems to enable local and national humanitarian actors lead in response and preparedness.
Mr. Kamalingin observed; “We all now realize that relying on international humanitarian actors alone is not sustainable, especially considering the shrinking basket of funds in the face of increasing frequency and complexity of natural and manmade disasters in different parts of the world. The world is fatigued and overstretched and it is time to invest in and hand the mantle of humanitarian planning, preparedness and response back to the local people.”
Kamalingin further added that the ELNHA program fits into Oxfam International’s Strategic Plan and vision for 2020 which whose ambition is to make sure national state institutions and civil society, with support from the international institutions, are supported to provide quality, impartial and independent assistance and strengthen the resilience of those in conflict or facing natural disasters.
Launching the ELNHA on behalf of the Prime Minister of Uganda, The Minister of Disaster Preparedness And Refugees, Hon Hillary Onek highlighted Uganda’s progressive refugee policies to guide disaster preparedness and response such as the “national policy for Disaster Preparedness and Management -2010. As government, we appreciate effective humanitarian preparedness and response requires a multi stakeholder approach, which is why as government, we applaud this convening role that Oxfam has adopted.
The ELNHA project clearly compliments government policy. He called upon humanitarian actors to emulate this example and dedicate more resources to local humanitarian actors such as NGOs, private sector, national and local government. Already, 51% of Oxfam in Uganda humanitarian funding passes through local humanitarian actors.
Hon Onek added that while the government recognizes the financial and technical support that UN Agencies and International NGO’s have accorded Uganda during humanitarian crises, local and national humanitarian actors can greatly contribute to bridging the financial and technical humanitarian gap and challenges as it is more efficient, cost effective and sustainable.
‘Local and national actors have a deep understanding of the context and the needs of the communities since they work closely with them and are able to link the short-term humanitarian assistance with long-term development towards building resilient communities.’
Hon Onek however cautioned that transforming the potential of Local and National Actors into reality needs robust and overt steps aimed at building their capacity to include: Financial support, training on the technicalities of emergency interventions and institutionalized and systematic inclusion of local actors.
Kamalingin concluded by explaining that Oxfam aims to see a shift of power, resources and capabilities towards Local or National Humanitarian Actors such as national or local government and the civil society. In this regard therefore, Oxfam is implementing the ELNHA project in two countries including Bangladesh to mobilize national/local actors as well as other international actors to work together and produce a plan for the transformation of the international humanitarian system but also working closely with the government to push for policies and practices that encourage adoption of such approaches.
