Children Health in Refugee Camps: the Role of International Relief Aid Agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations: the case of Kanembwa and Karago Camps in Kibondo District Tanzania.

This study is aimed at documenting, describing and analyzing children's health in refugee camps in Kanembwa and Karago. The study specifically addresses the following issues, first, identification of the most prevalent child health problems in the camps. Secondly, it identifies factors that contribute to children poor health in refugee camps. Thirdly, it examines the effectiveness of the health intervention programs provided by the NGOs and IRAAs in the camps. Lastly, it examines the approaches used in dealing with child health problems and the underlying principles of the refugee relief regime, which has been put in place to deal with health problems in refugee camps. This study reveals that the most prevalent diseases in the camps are communicable in nature. Moreover malnutrition was noted to be the main cause of diseases affecting children in the camps. The ineffectiveness of relief aid agencies and NGOs in the delivery of health and social services among the refugee population result from the refugee policy regime, which is the major structural factor that contributes to the worsening of the health condition of refugee children. There are health differences between those children whose parents engage in some form of income generating activities and those who totally depend on handouts. Among others the study recommends that, emergency assistance focusing on the health of the refugees particularly children should be holistic in the planning and provision of services. Health is not determined by the provision of medical care alone, factors such as education, nutrition, income and social relations interact and influence life chances.