Guest post by Kathryn Dunmore, Red Cross Blogger
Seeking safety from the violence that broke out in South Sudan in December, more than 48,000 refugees have now fled to neighbouring Uganda.
Overall, an estimated 700,000 people have been displaced internally in South Sudan, with another 145,000 having fled to neighbouring countries.
With refugee trucks arriving in Uganda one after the other, relief efforts remain in high demand in order to support the reception and registration of new arrivals, help settle them into camps and help restore family links.
Red Cross volunteers help refugees in Dzaipi Refugee camp in Adjumani, Uganda onto a truck to be taken from the reception centre to the camps. Photo credit: IFRC.
Thousands wait for their turn to be moved from a transit centre in northwest Uganda, the first stop for refugees fleeing to safety, to settlement camps within the district.
Volunteers and staff with the Uganda Red Cross Society work tirelessly to move refugees and help uprooted families settle in the camps. Efforts include promoting hygiene practices, providing first aid, as well as psychosocial support, and non-food relief items.
A child and her mother waiting to get onto a truck to be taken from the reception centre to the camps. Photo credit: IFRC.
The Uganda Red Cross Society is working in coordination with the government and other humanitarian organizations ever since armed clashes in Juba mid-December left hundreds in need of medical care and thousands of civilians fleeing their homes, taking very little with them.