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268Since World War II the continuous rise in refugee numbers in each passing decade continues to be a major challenge to the United Nations UN Whenever there is displacement or a humanitarian catastrophe the UN is on the ground providing relief support and assistance Several aid agencies under the umbrella of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR are responsible for humanitarian assistance and protection of refugees Salmio 2009 Sivolobova 2012 Subsequent eruption of armed conflicts in the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes Region has resulted in the flight of millions of people in search of safety with some of them ending in refugee camps Towards the end of the World War II refugee camps became standardized form of assisting displaced people Salmio 2009 Sivolobova 2012 A refugee camp is defined by UNHCR 2016 as a temporary accommodation for people who have been forced to flee their homes to provide immediate protection and safety for the world s most vulnerable people UNHCR reports that there are 2 6 million people living in camps worldwide According to UNHCR facts and figures by end of 2016 there were 65 6 million people forcibly displaced worldwide from their homes due to conflict violence or persecution out of this 22 5 million are refugees and 30 of them are hosted in Africa this gives an average of 28 300 people displaced worldwide on daily basis UNHCR affirms that when people become refugees they are likely to remain refugee for several years
Refugees initially are fully dependent on aid from the international community Since many refugees settle in camps for years humanitarian aid is not sufficient to address their basic needs so refugees are forced to coin other ways to self sufficiency Werker 2007 Since many outsiders view camps as temporary refugee settlements that wholesomely depend on foreign aid they fail to see how refugee camps emerge as urban environments that are full of commercial structures and generate their own economies The main major reason for economic empowerment move in refugee camps is because foreign aid is not sufficient to address all their needs Brees 2008 argues that Burmese refugees who live in Thailand receive food rations that meet international standards but there is no provision of fresh fruit vegetables meat or non food items that they need hence have to look for alternative source In addition a study by Meludu 2009 about refugees in Nigeria found that the humanitarian efforts supporting Nigerian refugee camps is often not enough to sustain them while in the camp for the period they are to stay