Opportunities and Challenges: The Tierkidi Camp Refugees-Host communities’ Interactions in Itang Special Woreda, Gambella Region

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the opportunities and challenges of the Tierkidi Camp Refugees-Host communities’ interactions in Itang Special Woreda, Gambella Region. To conduct this study, mixed research methodology was employed. Structured questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussion were the main research methods to collect data. Thus, stratified simple random sampling techniques was employed to select all target groups who participate through filling in questionnaires; besides, purposive sampling techniques were used to select participants in the interview who participate in the interview and focus group discussion. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and thematic data analysis. Thus, the result identifies the status of the host communities’ and refugee’s social interaction. In this case the areas of social interaction are education, health, transportation, and other services have taken as to enable the opportunities among these two communities. However, the presence of refugee in that area has many challenges to the host communities. Those are shortage of transportation, inflation, shortage of water service and other social services. Based on these findings, some applicable references were forwarded to strength the opportunities and to minimize the challenges faced by stakeholders in Itang Special Woreda. The issues were to reduce overcrowded populations in the town, to advisable the Woreda administration to identify the main challenge in the areas, appropriate to recommend the NGOs provision services to the host communities. Therefore, a researcher recommended that the Woreda Administration, ARRA, Non-governmental, and Regional Council must focus to minimize issues affected the host community and Tierkidi Refugee Camp.