Uganda currently hosts about 1.2 million refugees spread across twelve settlements in the country with at least 60% of the caseload settled in the West Nile region of the country and having South Sudanese origin. The rest of the refugees come from Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, DRC and other countries. Most of the refugees particularly from South Sudan are new arrivals. The influxes particularly from South Sudan, Burundi and DRC over the past 3 years currently renders Uganda the biggest host for refugees in Africa.
In order to efficiently offer adequate aid to these refugees, more and more humanitarian organizations and international non-governmental organizations have decided to convert in-kind support to cash-based transfers. These transfers are provided to people with special needs, such as pregnant women and the elderly, or to refugees taking part in 'cash for work' programmes (e.g., constructing community rubbish pits, building access roads, working on farms or planting trees). A total of 254 households were identified basing on the following criteria (stratified random sampling); (i) Parents/primary care-givers of children with severe mental disabilities, (ii) Parents/primary care-givers of children with special education needs enrolled in school, (iii) Family head with disability who is the primary care-giver of an orphaned child, (iv) Single-heads of household who are care-givers for children with specific needs, (v) Elderly women/men (above 60 years) who are primary caregivers of children with specific needs, (vi) Care-giver of persons with serious medical conditions.