Using big data and machine learning to respond to the refugee crisis in Uganda

Hosting over 1.2 million refugees from South Sudan, Uganda has one of the most favorable refugee protection environments in the world, providing refugees with freedom of movement, the right to work, and access to social services through a generous asylum policy (the Refugee Act of 2006 and the Refugee Regulations of 2010). " […] Uganda embraces children […] Uganda allows us to go to school," says Hindiyo Abdulkadir, a young representative of refugees speaking at the Uganda Solidarity Summit on Refugees. The country is experiencing the fastest growing refugee community in the world that has a far-reaching economic and social impact. Most settlements for South Sudanese refugees are based in the north of Uganda where an average of 2,000 refugees arrive every day. The mass influx to this poor area of the country is putting a strain on resources like land, firewood and water.