Grateful South Sudanese Christian refugees in Uganda, each with their own goat provided by Barnabas Fund. (Courtesy Photo)
Over one million refugees have fled to Uganda in the last two and a half years, making the Pearl of Africa the third largest refugee-hosting country in the world after Turkey and Pakistan
The Barnabas Fund, an international Christian aid agency based in Coventry, in the West Midlands of England delivered hundreds of goats to families in Rhino Camp Refugee Settlement which hosts more than 116,000 refugees, mostly South Sudanese in Arua District.
“We have distributed a total of 800 female goats and 40 male goats so far in 2019. The average female goat produces one to three kids twice a year, the agency said in a release .
“Demand for goat meat is high in Uganda and the unused land surrounding Camp Rhino is excellent for the animals to graze,” it added.
The programme aims to provide long-term sustainability for 2,400 Christian families from 35 congregations in the vast refugee camp. One female goat is given to a refugee who must then give away its firstborn kid to someone who is goatless.
The Barnabas Fund majorly supports Christians who face discrimination or persecution as a consequence of their faith.
“May God bless Barnabas Fund,” said Pastor Scopas at the refugee camp. “Our children will have meat and milk. This will contribute to eliminating malnutrition among the children and breast-feeding mothers. It is amazing that many of our Christians that had lost all their animals in South Sudan have some animals to graze.”
According to a report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, South Sudanese make up the largest refugee population in Uganda (985,512 people) as at June 2018, followed by refugees from the DRC (271,967) and Burundi (36,677).
Another 70,988 refugees from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Rwanda, Somalia and Sudan have lived in protracted exile in Uganda for the past three decades.
More than 60 percent of Uganda’s refugees are under the age of 18.
