Japan has pledged $122,999 (over Shs400 million) to bolster education and food security for refugees in Uganda’s Kyangwali Settlement, at a time when the East African country’s refugee response faces severe funding cuts that have left services overstretched and vulnerable households at greater risk.
Uganda, hosting some 1.6 million refugees-the highest in Africa and third globally-has seen humanitarian funding decline sharply over the past three years, with the 2024 Uganda Refugee Response Plan financed at less than 40 percent, according to UNHCR.
Cuts have forced reductions in food rations, strained health services, and declining support for education, with some households receiving only 30-60 percent of their basic food needs.
Speaking at a grant signing ceremony at the Japanese Embassy on Tuesday, Japanese Ambassador Sasayama Takuya said the aid comes at a crucial moment.
‘Uganda hosts nearly two million refugees, yet international attention and assistance are decreasing. It is very ironic that because Uganda has done well in hosting refugees, international attention becomes lower. But Japan is committed to continue supporting Uganda and the refugees it shelters,’ Amb Takuya emphasized.
He noted that Japan receives more than 300 applications annually for grassroots assistance, but must prioritize due to limited budgets.
‘The situation is not an easy one,’ he added.
The contribution, extended under Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP), will fund the construction of a classroom block, a perimeter fence, latrines, and nutrition programmes implemented by Action Against Hunger (ACF) in Kikuube District, mid-western Uganda
Authorities says since its inception, GGP has supported 295 community-based projects in Uganda, spanning education, health, and agricultural productivity.
Despite Uganda’s globally praised open-door refugee policy, which allows refugees to settle, move freely, and work-the Japanese envoy said the very success of the model has led to declining global attention and donor fatigue.
He also announced that Japan will provide additional food aid through the World Food Programme (WFP) before year-end and continues to deploy JICA specialists to strengthen refugee policy and peace-building initiatives.
Ritah Kabanyoro, Country Director of Action Against Hunger, welcomed the project as timely.
‘Hunger is multi-sectoral. If a classroom is falling apart or a child does not have food, they will not come to school,’ Kabanyoro said.
She highlighted the impact of recent funding cuts on education, noting that more than 2,000 teachers could lose their jobs.
‘So this project sends a message to the children that they have not been forgotten.’
She added that alongside classroom construction, the initiative will introduce school feeding and nutritional support, emphasizing that ‘development must be collective and holistic.’