Uganda Refugee Settlements

Uganda refugee settlements.

Professor and Chair of the Department of Architecture Kory Smith, Community for Global Health Equity Program Coordinator Lisa Vahapoğlu and collaborators from UB work to plan for sustainable communities for refugees in Uganda.

Continued conflict in South Sudan has forced over 1,291,294 people to seek refuge in neighboring countries. Uganda, known for its progressive refugee laws, hosts a majority of the refugees from South Sudan, providing refugees and asylum seekers with right to work, freedom of movement, and access to social services. The protracted nature of conflict and the scarcity of resources in settlements necessitates study on land use, settlement planning, and shelter design. The current work focuses on finding innovative methods to build durable shelters, hydrological study, technical support for iron removal, sanitation in flood-prone areas, land-use and site planning strategies, and WaSH Behavior Change Research in the Adjumani settlement of Uganda. 

Grant Amount/Duration

Funding Agency

Lead Team Members

James N. Jensen
Professor; Director of Undergraduate Studies, Environmental Engineering
Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering

Christopher Lowry
Assistant Professor, Geology

Ryan Frederiks
Graduate Student, Department of Geology

Kory Smith
Professor, Department of Architecture

Lisa Vahapoğlu
Program Coordinator, Community for Global Health Equity