UGANDA - The world's largest refugee camp

Dusty roads leading beyond the horizon.

A year ago none of it existed, this area was all grassland.

An influx of refugees from South Sudan transformed this part of northern Uganda into the world’s largest refugee camp.

The Bidi Bidi settlement is home to around 300,000 people.

Conflict in South Sudan has caused millions of people to flee.

Each one of them is seeking a new life, free from the horrific violence that has blighted their home country.

Many of them set off for Uganda, due to its welcoming refugee policy.

Each family is given a plot of land they can call home and every person is allowed to move freely throughout the country.

This sprawling facility is split into five administrative zones, each of them stretch as far as the eye can see.

In the main welcome area the shoots of what could be a major town are beginning to come through.

Shops are being constructed and services are being put in place.

However, even by African standards conditions here are far from perfect.

Jump in a jeep and travel just minutes away things get a lot worse.

You encounter some of the poorest people you will ever meet.

Poverty isn’t the only thing they are dealing with.

The memories of what they saw in South Sudan still haunt them.

One woman, whose husband was murdered, told me “I have 10 children, some belong to my sister who was also killed, some are my own, and some I picked up along the way after their parents were murdered.”

Another refugee I met told me about his son getting sick as he made the journey to safety.

“My child developed some sickness, after two days he passed away, it was one of the most difficult experiences of my life.”

Stories of death and destruction are common, each as horrendous as the one before.

Northern Ireland charity Fields of Life is working in the region to help improve conditions as part of its East Africa Emergency Appeal

CEO Richard Spratt says “In terms of size it’s something like 250 thousand square miles and the basic things are needed.”

“This area needs infrastructure, things like access to clean water, access to education and access to health provision.”

One of the biggest problems facing people here is a lack of clean water.

This is basic infrastructure and believe it or not one that will save lives.

Drinking dirty water is Africa is a death sentence for some.

But a risk many are forced to take to survive.

Waterborne diseases kill thousands in the region every day.

Within a relatively short space of time, boreholes can be dug and wells constructed.

During our visit a drilling team from Fields of Life was working on the first of their wells within the Bidi Bidi camp.

Richard Spratt says, “The ground water potential here is very good and very strong.”

“One very simple solution to support this community and the refugees within it is to extract that ground water and install a bore hole.”

Uganda had many of its own problems to deal with; this conflict has brought its own difficulties.

The influx of refugees has pushed Uganda to breaking point.

The nation is being overwhelmed and it is being described as a country in crisis.

If you want to support the Field of Life projects you can find all the details on their website