Change Makers

Game of Thrones actor meets South Sudanese refugees

On May 6, Liam Cunningham — the Irish actor best known for portraying Davos Seaworth in HBO’s “Game of Thrones” — traveled with World Vision to Northern Uganda to meet South Sudanese refugees crossing the border into Uganda. The South Sudan refugee crisis is now the fastest-growing refugee crisis in the world.

There are more than 900,000 refugees in the West Nile region who have fled the conflict. This number is growing by more than 2,000 refugees daily, with 86% of refugees being women and children.

During Liam Cunningham’s time in Uganda, he visited World Vision’s programs at Bidi Bidi and Imvepi settlement camps and met with the refugees who now call these places home.

Bidi Bidi and Imvepi settlement camps

  • The refugee settlement in Bidi Bidi, Yumbe district is one of the largest refugee settlements in the world. Initially, it was supposed to host up to 100,000 refugees, but it is now closer to 270,000 people.
  • All new arrivals to Uganda from South Sudan are being relocated to the Imvepi settlement camp, which is now hosting nearly 75,000 people.
  • World Vision has been working in Bidi Bidi and Imvepi since they were set up last year to bring back hope and any sense of normality to people who have had their life torn apart.
  • In Bidi Bidi and Imvepi, World Vision partners with the World Food Programme and UNHCR to provide urgent food assistance.

World Vision’s response to the South Sudan refugee crisis in Uganda

  • Distribute cash and food assistance to refugees
  • Operate 26 Child-Friendly Spaces
  • Construct water and sanitation systems
  • Distribute hygiene kits and household goods
  • Identify and assist children separated from their families
  • Provide training in agriculture and vocational skills

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