Is Uganda a paradise for refugees? | The Stream
According to many recent and glowing headlines, Uganda is a paradise for refugees.
On paper, it certainly has some of the most liberal policies in the world. Refugees can work and move freely around the country. Many of their children can access education. And they are even given a small plot of land on which to live and grow food, and the basic materials needed to build a house.
But some critics say the rapturous headlines may obscure a less than perfect reality and discourage much-needed funding for the more than one million refugees in Uganda, even as more pour in.
Others suggest the good news story helps burnish the reputation of a government with an often criticised human rights record.
Now, a corruption scandal has further complicated the picture.
The Stream talks to a panel of experts and goes beyond the headlines to find out where the truth lies, what can be done to help Uganda cope with its huge refugee population, and what lessons other countries can learn – good and bad – from its experience.
