Lango launches platform to localize humanitarian aid system

Humanitarian actors in Uganda’s Lango Sub-region have launched a new platform aimed at localizing the aid system in Uganda.

Founders say the platform is also expected to strengthen coordination and partnerships among local actors and international non-governmental organizations for effective humanitarian preparedness and response.

This follows concern that the region could be at risk of experiencing a new or worsening humanitarian crisis in the coming months due to effects of climate change.

For instance, Dokolo District is currently experiencing severe flooding triggered by the rising water levels on Lake Kwania. The disaster has so far affected more than 15,000 households, according to data from the district authorities.

Nonetheless, the Lango Humanitarian Platform (LHP), which was launched in Lira City on Thursday, is also expected to, among others, strengthen the capacity and systems of the local and national humanitarian actors for delivering timely and quality humanitarian assistance to crisis-affected communities.

Moses Augustine Otim, the chairperson of LHP, said they will continue lifting the banner of the Platform higher and getting to see the challenges that people in Lango are experiencing so that they can expose it to the outside world. 

“We have challenges like poverty and floods and these require emergency response and the Lango Humanitarian Platform exists to address such kinds of issues,” he said.

Julian Joyce Acoko, the chairperson of Charter 4 Change Working Group, also the executive director for Northern Uganda Widows and Orphans Support Organisation (NUWOSO), said they are advocating for the equitable partnership which will lead to the sustainability of the projects implemented by the local actors.

“Now we’re saying that let the local actors be involved and sit at the decision- making table so that they can design solutions to challenges affecting their communities together with the donors,” she explained.  

Dr Morris Chris Ongom, the chairman of National Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Lira, pledged total commitment to working with civil society.

“So, I think there is a good conversation going on and I encourage us to continue in that line. If we do that localization agenda which is now a new wave in the humanitarian development industry, we will become something visible,”  he observed.