Owing to Covid-19 restrictions, businesses are forced to downsize or close leaving thousands of refugees without livelihoods.

The United Nations agency said that it is working closely with governments and partners to find solutions for urban refugees in these challenging times.

The agency raised concerns that without further support many urban refugees will become extremely vulnerable to exploitation, risk falling into significant levels of debt and may be forced into desperate situations to survive, such as transactional sex or child labour.

Before the pandemic struck, many refugees were already living under harsh conditions with refugees living in overcrowded and unhygienic conditions.

The agency says these refugees are most vulnerable to the spread of the coronavirus because thousands of refugees live in impoverished neighbourhoods in Nairobi with little access to clean water, making it nearly impossible to practice regular hand washing.

The statement said that in Rwanda most of the 12,000 urban refugees have seen the family wage earners lose their jobs, as many had been working for businesses that have closed or are struggling to import commodities due to border restrictions.

In both Rwanda and Kenya, the UNHCR has been providing emergency cash assistance to the most vulnerable and exploring options to expand programming.

In Uganda, the UNHCR and the World Food Programme (WFP) are introducing once-off cash assistance for some 80,000 urban refugees using mobile money to help cover rent, food and other key items.

It said that these are only temporary measures and socio-economic conditions are expected to worsen in the coming months.

For this reason, it has called on states to ensure that as part of these measures, urban refugees additionally have access to social safety nets providing health insurance, food and cash assistance, which the international community should further support.

The agency urged governments and landlords across the region to develop solutions that would put in place a moratorium on evictions, at least until the crisis subsides.

Refugee children have been particularly impacted by Covid-19 prevention measures, with schools across the region having closed.

“While most governments have attempted to plug this gap by offering classes through the internet, TV or radio stations, many families lack the required equipment or are unable to afford internet data bundles.”

UNHCR and education partners are pursuing a range of solutions including printing home study kits and uploading learning content onto phones in Uganda, the statement said.

The UNHCR has also called on the private sector to play its part by donating radios, smartphones, tablets, laptops and connectivity options to families in need.

It has urged the international community to support its emergency response with further funding so that the rapidly rising needs can be met before the situation gets out of hand.

As part of the broader United Nations Global Humanitarian Response Plan, UNHCR is requesting some US$745 million for life-saving interventions in response to Covid-19, of which $126 million has been requested for countries in the East, Horn and Great Lakes of Africa.

African News Agency