Humanitarian Support on Delivery of Social Services in Gulu District, Uganda

ABSTRACT The research was carried out in order to assess the effectiveness of humanitarian support on delivery of social services in Gulu district, Northern Uganda. The study objectively sought to; examine the time frame under which the humanitarian support reached the beneficiaries, assess the achievements of humanitarian agencies in the delivery of services, assess the beneficial effects and responses of the beneficiaries with regards to the humanitarian support provided and to assess the challenges of humanitarian agencies in the delivery of social services in Gulu district. Some important aspects were reviewed about the effectiveness of humanitarian support on delivery of social services. This chapter revealed the theoretical perspective and the conceptual perspective and related literature while identifying the knowledge gaps. Data was collected using methods such as interviews, questionnaires, observation. The collected data was coded in SPSS then, analyzed and presented for better analysis. The study findings revealed that humanitarian agencies encountered challenges in their service delivery, including: lack of technical, leadership and management skills amongst the IDP population; disagreements on which were priority areas of intervention; rack of coordination amongst the humanitarian players, and of course, insecurity was always a perceived threat. The findings, conclusions and recommendations from the study were also presented and they included: Government, donors and NGOs could have benefited from tailored approaches, better targeting, and coordination of the humanitarian support to avoid waste of resources and duplication of efforts. It was recommended here that emergencies need to closely link with development principles of operation to ensure a smooth transition. Emergencies should further take full advantage of the local resource in the form of the IDPs themselves, especially women, by engaging them at all levels of programmes delivery.