Dadaab

My classmate Rachel and I often end up in similar places at school – classes, seminars, groups – often attributing it to the fact that we share a similar passion for foreign policy, international development, human rights, and the inclusion of former female child soldiers in the DDR (disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration) process. It shouldn’t have been a surprise then, when we both came into contact with the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya as part of our summer internships!

Rachel travels to Dadaab this week, so we’ve teamed up to give you a multi-blog, multi-continental perspective on the world’s largest refugee site. Here’s some back ground information… check back soon for on-the-ground reporting and photos from Rachel!

Dadaab

Kenya has hosted Somali refugees since 1991 when Somalia descended into civil war. Since the latest conflict in October 2006, Somali refugee numbers in Kenya (mainly in the Dadaab camps) have more than doubled. Dadaab is the world’s largest refugee site and it is composed of three refugee camps: Dagahaley, Hagadera, and Ifo. Currently Dadaab hosts more than 286,000 refugees, the majority of which are from Somalia. Refugees continue to flow into Kenya as fighting and food insecurity in Somalia continues, the majority arriving from the Lower and Middle Juba regions and Mogadishu. UNHCR reports that more than 39,000 new refugees have arrived in Dadaab since the beginning of the year.


Originally built for 90,000 people, Dadaab is stretched beyond its capacity. UNHCR is currently seeking additional land to construct a new camp, but the environmental impact of refugees, border security, and host community development have been hurdles to new land acquisition.

The Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration at the State Department (my home this summer) funds International Organizations such as the UN’s agency for refugees (UNHCR) and NGOs (Non-governmental Organizations) to provide refugee assistance services in Dadaab. In addition, the Bureau also supports programs to combat sexual and gender based violence in the camp.

Combating Sexual and Gender Based Violence

Gender based violence has long been problematic in Somalia, and cultural norms, for example, FGM (Female Genital Mutilation), are one of several contributing factors to the incidence of gender based violence in Dadaab. Other factors include camp congestion, idleness and dependency on humanitarian aid.

UNHCR and NGOs, including CARE, are actively working to combat sexual and gender based violence in Dadaab. CARE uses community leaders and youth and women’s groups as a venue for the discussion of GBV, FGM, and HIV/AIDS. They also provide counseling services to GBV and FGM survivors.