Refugee children in northern Uganda on Monday received 700 teddy bear gifts as Christmas approaches, courtesy of the World Vision.
The teddy bears arrived in Imvepi refugee settlement from the UK, to provide the refugee children with toys to play with.
Tens of thousands of children have sought refuge in Uganda after fleeing the fighting in neighbouring South Sudan, which has killed thousands and displaced millions others.
Some of the children who arrived in Uganda are reported to have made the dangerous journey alone after losing their parents to the war.
The United Nations earlier this year ranked South Sudan as the Africa’s biggest refugee crisis, coming third worldwide after Syria and Afghanistan.
The children at the Imvepi refugee camp – most of whom have absolutely nothing – will now have teddy bears to play with during the Christmas period.
Children will play with the teddies at World Vision’s 31 Child Friendly Spaces in the settlements. The spaces provide young people with a safe place to play, get a basic education, engage in peace-building activities, learn about their rights and protection, and steadily recover from distress. They also allow children to return to healthy routines and start to feel normal again.
The South Sudan war began in December 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his then deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup against his rule. Machar denied the allegations but then went on to mobilize a rebel force to fight the government.
Regional leaders and the international community have stepped up pressure on the warring factions wo engage in dialogue to end the crisis.
Machar however remains in South Africa where he went to seek medical attention after an attack last year.
