ReliefWeb

Highlights

• As the new school year started, UNICEF Tanzania has procured new Burundian textbooks and learning materials for more than 38,000 refugee children in grades 1-5 to ensure quality learning and teaching in three camps in North West Tanzania.

• In response to a cholera outbreak in parts of Kigoma region in early September, UNICEF provided 506,940 water guard tablets to 20,845 people and water quality test kits to the Regional Medical Officer in the Government Regional Secretariat.

• Voluntry repatratiation of Burundian refugees commenced in September with 1,666 returns (including 1,023 children) in the first two weeks,.

• The UN Joint Programme for Kigoma was launched on 20tSeptember 2017. Covering six themes, this programme focusses on refugee hosting communities whose children lag behind national indicators in almost all sectors.

SITUATION IN NUMBERS

322,059
/# of refugees and asylum seekers (Burundians and Congolese) in three camps
(UNHCR, 31 August 2017)

173,912
(54%) # of refugee children in need of humanitarian assistance
(UNHCR 31 August 2017)

42,671
/# of pending for registration refugees and asylum seekers
(UNHCR, 31 August 2017)

1,666
/# of refugees who have voluntarily returned to Burundi of the 13,000 registered.

UNICEF Appeal 2017
US$ 6,991,000

Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs

Tanzania is hosting over 322,000 refugees from Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo in three refugee camps. Fifty four percent of all refugees in the camps are children below 18 years. 3 Since July, the number of daily arrivals from Burundi reduced significantly from 17 to almost zero, while there has been an increase in daily arrivals from DRC from 17 to 50 persons. During the reporting period, voluntary repatriation of Burundian refugees commenced following the Tripartite Agreement between UNHCR and the governments of Burundi and Tanzania. As of end September some 13,000 refugees have registered for voluntary repatriation and 1,666 refugees (including 1,023 children) have returned in September.
UNICEF has been engaged in the initiative of safe voluntary return to ensure that procedures for unaccompanied children are followed and tracked during the entire process complying with all human rights standards. The UN is not promoting return but supports refugees who decide to return.

The refugee situation in Tanzania continues to overstretch basic services in the overcrowded camps. A cholera outbreak was reported in Kigoma municipality in the first week of September 2017 affecting more than 50 people with two deaths.

UNICEF has supported the Regional Medical Officer in the government regional secretariat to contain the disease and prevent any possible cross contamination between host communities and refugees.

The UN Joint Programme in Kigoma was launched on 20th September 2017. This joint programme focusses on development gaps in refugee hosting districts which lag far behind national development indicators. UNICEF is leading two sectors; WASH and Protection-“End Violence Against children and Women, and is a core partner for Education sector.

During the launch, the UNICEF Representative inaugurated a gender and cchildren’s desk at the police station in Kasulu district, which handles cases of children from the host communities and camps.