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Abstract

As a result of looming conflicts in countries neighbouring Uganda, many people are seen fleeing their home countries for asylum in Uganda. In the process of their integration, refugees search for information to aid their survival in the social, technological, and economic contexts. The study purpose was to qualitatively investigate difficulties encountered by refugees in their access and use of information in North Western Uganda (NWU) at Bidi Bidi settlement camp. Findings indicate that refugees are exposed to psychological, sociological, technological and physical difficulties in their quest for information. These findings offer insights that can help ameliorate refugeehood by means providing measures to overcome information seeking and use challenges among refugees. The study recommends establishing adequate information delivery mechanisms to support refugee sustenance and integration. Ensuring open communication networks, equity, trust, impartiality and inclusiveness can foster a levelled information terrain for refugees to support their integration and sustenance in host nations. Policies and systems that support refugees’ training in basic information and digital literacy are critical. Policies towards information packaging and repackaging for refugees are necessary for refugees’ information access and use.

Keywords

Information Information behaviour Information seeking Information seeking barriers Uganda Refugees Bidi Bidi settlement camp

Introduction

Information is central to the survival of refugees as it facilitates their social inclusion and personal development if refugees’ information needs and sources are identified and recognised (Serra & Revez, 2024). Refugees feel empowered and reassured when they access information about their plight issues in host nations (Martin-Shields & Munir-Asen, 2024). Comprehending access to information, use of information and effectively communicating information is necessary for the social inclusion and integration of refugees (Abood et al., 2023). Information is critical in refugees’ lives yet they are exposed to several barriers in accessing the information they need (Johnston et al., 2024). According to Mathie (2024), many refugees in Uganda lack adequate access to information to meet their needs. The inability or failure to access, comprehend and use information negatively affects an individual’s decision-making ability in new environments (Serra & Revez, 2024). Refugees thus find it difficult to make informed decisions on different issues in their life as they navigate the refugee landscape in host nation without adequate access to valid information.

Integration of refugees in communities requires establishing, identifying and addressing refugees’ information needs. Refugees have information needs related to legal issues, their health and wellbeing, internet access, language acquisition, entrepreneurship, social relationships and integration, career development, education, employment and labour issues, as well as technology use (Bautista et al., 2023; Hassan & Wolfram, 2020; Mansour, 2018; Oduntan & Ruthven, 2019; Oladokun et al., 2022; Serra & Revez, 2024). The complex resettlement process in a new territory is earmarked by the need for information access on cultural, social, political and economic conditions of the new setting (Abood et al., 2023). Jaroszynski (2024) avers that understanding new settings is dependent on information gathered by immigrants and studies have shown that new immigrants possess significant information needs on daily practices and activities. However, refugees experience information precarity and insecurity as they try to gain access to information which makes them exposed to rumours and misinformation (Berg, 2022).

Forced migration is a persistent universal humanitarian challenge which is unlikely to decline shortly (Serra & Revez, 2024). Refugees move to Uganda because of her open door refugee policy as they flee conflict and strife in their home countries including South Sudan, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and other places yearning for security (Valassopoulou, 2024). Uganda for decades has championed refugees assistance in the region and is a regional beacon of stability espousing and implementing liberal policies that demonstrate the Global Compact on Refugees by giving refugees rights and freedoms to have access to land, movement, as well as urban settlement (UNHCR, 2024). The inclusive and welcoming policies are particularly pertinent for forced migrants as they are more vulnerable compared to voluntary migrants (Abood et al., 2023; Serra & Revez, 2024). With her partners, the Uganda government, through the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), has continuously provided support services to ensure successful refugee management in the settlements. Refugees are provided with water, food items, protection, and health services (Kyozira et al., 2021). Uganda offers refugees fundamental rights and services. Refugees are allowed to work and have their own businesses. They also have access to health care provided by government as well as access to primary level education (USCRI, 2024). In addition, refugee partners like the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the World Food Programme (WFP), UNHCR, and USCRI continue to support the OPM to reduce the burden caused by the refugee influx in Uganda with support in health, education, legal services, as well as protection and empowerment of girls and women in the settlements (Brown et al., 2020; IRC, 2024, MoES, 2021).

With such an open policy, the demand for amenities by refugees strains the policy implementation especially due to reduction in aid. The unceasing influx and arrival of refugees no longer makes headlines, but rather the shortfalls in funding which significantly impact on the implementation of the refugee policy. This is done by putting pressure on assistance services and protection given to refugees as well as the communities that host them, thereby risking Uganda’s response model for refugees (Atamanov et al., 2024; Grześkowiak, 2024; UNHCR, 2024). According to USCRI (2024), Uganda’s refugee management programme is among the UNHCR’s least funded globally. Such conditions and circumstances make the refugees’ plight harder and put refugees in constant search for information so as to ameliorate their environment and living.

Navigating the information landscape can be challenging for vulnerable people especially refugees as they are faced with several hurdles in trying to gain access to valid information. Studies that have been carried out among refugees have identified several difficulties that refugees encounter in their quest for information. Refugees, according to Yeon and Lee (2021) and Shuva (2018), lack good IT and language skills that are essential in seeking information. They also do not have information literacy especially so, as they experience difficulties enunciating their information needs or determining sources of information. Refugees suffer from information illiteracy, digital and computer illiteracy which as a result of unfamiliarity with the IT and computer-based provision of information, confines their capability to comprehend and improve their time in responding (Beretta et al., 2018; Hicks & Lloyd, 2016; Lloyd et al., 2013).

Ambiguity and doubt among refugees creates information needs (Berg, 2022). In order to ensure that informed decisions are made, people are often in search for information to facilitate their choices and as such refer to several information sources (Soroya Farooq et al., 2021). Vulnerable people are negatively affected by a paucity of information for their wellbeing, health, social participation, and inclusion (Kanobe et al., 2022). Refugees face hurdles in ensuring food security, protection, settlement and shelter, dealing with oppression, domestic violence, and navigating through trauma and integration challenges (Javanbakht et al., 2021; Mendola & Pera, 2022; Scharpf et al., 2021). Navigating through such hurdles requires access to relevant information as an imperative survival kit.

Comprehending refugees’ obstacles to finding information enables adaptation, minimising integration stress while offering refugee communities avenues to be heard (Jaroszynski, 2024). Although some studies have been conducted on the impediments of refugees in their quest for information, this study aims at establishing the technological, sociological and physical difficulties experienced by the refugees in NWU at Bidi Bidi refugee settlement in navigating their information land scape. Bidi Bidi refugee settlement is located in NWU and is one of the 13 refugee settlements established in Uganda. Found in Yumbe district in the West Nile province of the country at the border with South Sudan, Bidi Bidi refugee settlement spans over 250 sq km stretching from the Border of South Sudan into Moyo District. It was setup in 2016 in response to the influx of South Sudanese refugees to Uganda and is one of the largest refugee camps in the world accommodating over 200,000 refugees from South Sudan (OPM, 2018; UNHCR, 2021).

Literature Review

In a study carried out among refugees in Zaatari camp in Jordan, refugees complained of the absence of electricity, clean water, quality food and the unawareness of times for distribution as well as lack of knowledge on how to access new shelter and medical services (Quintanilla, 2012). They indicate a lack of information to facilitate their access to social services and according to Mansour (2018) the situation is further complicated as refugees may be unable to clearly describe the kind of information they need. Hassan and Wolfram (2020) also indicate that refugees sometimes had to struggle to gain access to information and sometimes they lacked knowledge of what exactly they were searching for and often found a hard time explaining and articulating exactly what their need were using the correct words even when the refugees believed they understood what exactly they needed. As a way of coping with everyday struggles, refugees sought information on entertainment but the lack of television or internet access complicated the situation (Berg, 2022). The author further opines that the absence of free access to internet complicated women refugees’ attempts to find information about professional contacts and develop new friendship in host countries. Di Giovanni et al. (2013), and Martzoukou and Burnett (2018) have also noted that refugees experienced a dearth of timely, accurate, regular, and actionable information for their protection, decision-making and survival. Time deficit and inadequate resources access encumber their information seeking (Flynn & McGuinness, 2011). Steering through racial barriers and the American negative view of Africans involving discrimination on racial grounds are huddles faced by African refugees in the United States (Hassan & Wolfram, 2020).

The lack of adequate language and literacy skills to comprehend local systems was a major difficulty that faced women refugees in Sweden according to Kainat et al. (2022). The authors have further noted that the women refugees in Sweden lacked information on the culture of local health which hindered their access to refugees’ essential services like healthcare services. Language is identified over as one of the most common issues in the refugees’ access to information. Similarly, Abood et al. (2023) note that the lack of proficiency in the languages of the host country is an accessing, seeking, and using barrier to available Information and services and is constantly being seen as a negative factor affecting all settlement aspects. Refugees expressed their difficulty in speaking languages of their host countries which affected service delivery to them (Kusari, 2024). The challenge of language according to Mårtensson et al. (2020) is even made worse by the poor skill and abilities of language interpreters and translators which affects refugees’ comprehension of the information landscape. Some interpreters also lack professionalism as they gossip and share information about refugees with other people (Koutsouradi et al., 2024). African refugees in the United States encountered and found difficulties in expressing their language, largely with the accent of American English (Hassan & Wolfram, 2020).

In his study among Syrian refugees, Obodoruku (2019) notes that refugees lacked the essential educational and information needs for their own wellbeing. He also highlights the absence of information access as well as access to the UNHCR offices as a result of inflexible boundaries posed on accessing the office. The refugees, as such, felt a deprivation to access freely, information so as to be up to date with existing information and as well discover information types that would be useful to their plight and is available with UNHCR. The absence of suitable sources of information and networks, information overload and problems in knowing the new culture of communication were some of the challenges refugees encountered according to Le Louvier and Innocenti (2022) in a study conducted about approaches in integration of refugees and asylum seekers as well as Abood et al. (2023) in a study on the role of information acquisition to settlement services literacy for humanitarian migrants in Australia. A lot of information provided often overburdened and confused the refugees (Kainat et al., 2022). This is further emphasised by Oduntan (2017) who opines that the absence of information is not the problem facing refugees but rather the inappropriateness and inadequacy of information resulting in unmet information needs.

Psychological difficulties have also been presented as affecting information quest and behaviour of refugees. Yeon and Lee (2021) explain that refugees may end up abandoning some information sources or even refuse to seek for information as a result of psychological issues like discomfort or reluctance. Refugees had trust issue which hindered their access to information and as well had cultural beliefs that greatly affected them in their seeking of information (Beretta et al., 2018; Kainat et al., 2022). Refugees are also challenged with misinformation, an issue affecting both host and refugee populations. Misinformation is mostly spread by community members and other players that want to take advantage of the disadvantaged group specifically in providing information on sources of funds for response, distribution of aid and refugee status (Internews & UNHCR 2023).

Refugees in Uganda encounter inadequate access to official information that is necessary in setting up and formalising businesses which leaves refugees to depend on word-of-mouth information which in turn results in hesitation and confusion of refugees as they try to participate in formal business ventures. They grapple with information which is inaccurate leaving some refugees open to exploitation (ULEARN, 2023). A report by Mathie (2024) on refugees’ inclusive protection in Uganda shows that refugees often expressed a dearth of information about laws relating to employment which compounded the hurdles of navigating and steering through the employment terrain. Refugees in Uganda are faced with inadequate knowledge to support their navigation of health systems at the local level (Young et al., 2023). Refugees in Uganda are also affected by limited access to information. In their study on refugees’ access to family planning in NWU, Achola et al. (2024) intimated that refugees’ access to family planning services was hindered by limited access and availability of information. Urban refugees in Uganda lacked linguistically and culturally available information, something which exacerbated their inequalities, exclusion, and exposure to risks (Sseviiri et al., 2022).

Several studies identify the difficulties refugees go through in their information behaviour with language barrier, both Computer and information illiteracy, mistrust, lack of support, information overload, financial constraints, psychological barriers prominently appearing. If there is inadequate access to information as a result of impediments met in the course of the way, refugees’ full involvement in a country’s dimensions and opportunities are reduced yet less involvement brings higher chances of poverty and marginalisation (Beretta et al., 2018). This study expands on the difficulties while comprehending the technological, sociological and physical difficulties experienced by the refugees in NWU in navigating their information land scape.

Methodology

This study was qualitative and adopted phenomenology research design. Qualitative methods were espoused in collecting data from refugees at Bidi Bidi settlement in NWU. Qualitative research is about describing an issue in the study by capturing the participants’ views with comprehensive explanations in their context (Groenland & Dana, 2020). Using interpretivism paradigm, researchers focussed on experiences of participants while putting attention to what they had in common in their experience of the phenomenon (Khaldi, 2017; Shah & Al-Bargi, 2013; Tomaszewski et al., 2020) while also establishing standout specialised and individual bottlenecks in their information landscape. Refugees and refugees’ providers in NWU comprised the population of the study. Refugees at the settlement camp were recorded to over 246,310 (UNHCR, 2022). Purposive sampling was used to select the participants of the study. Because the study was phenomenological, 50 refugees were purposefully included in the study if they were of adult age, that is, 18 years and above and had lived in the refugee settlement for at least 3 years. Administrators, OPM partners and service providers were purposefully included in the sample if they were of adult age and were directly involved with refugees’ issues such as welfare and wellbeing. Level of education, religion and language spoken were not consideration for inclusion of participants. Purposive sampling as pointed out in Leavy (2017), involves identifying information rich cases of a study so as to meet the research purpose and queries or questions. Because the population was heterogenous, 60 participants were used as the study sample. Purposive sampling according to Campbell et al. (2020) achieves better matching of the study aims and objectives to the sample thereby improving the study rigour as well as the credibility of data and results. Participants were purposely selected to meet the study aim of examining the lived experiences of refugees in their information environments.

Researchers in the Qualitative realm possess a series of strategies for data gathering and collection such as textual analysis, visual, analysis, interviews as well as observation (Islam & Aldaihani, 2022). A combination of qualitative approaches to data gathering including individual interviews and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were used in the study. Both individual and group interviews were used to collect data. Individual interviews were adopted as the first approach to data collection and later concluded with FGDs. 48 individual interviews were carried out with participants on difficulties refugees encounter in navigating the information landscape at Bidi Bidi settlement. Interviews give participants chance to share their attitudes, desires, attitudes, prejudices, feelings, and opinions on their experiences of a given phenomenon (Dunwoodie et al., 2023; Islam & Aldaihani, 2022). FGDs were used to add depth to the data gathered from interviews. FGDs enhance individual interviews by permitting depth in discussion of phenomena (Geampana & Perrotta, 2024). During FGDs, refugees were requested to join up in groups that were as homogeneous as possible to discuss the phenomenon. 4 FGDs were conducted including one with youth, religious leaders, refugee administrators, and one with common refugees. The FGDs ranged between 4 and 8 participants and lasted between 45 min and 1 h and 30 min. The individual and focus group interview started by establishing the demographic data of participants as a way of building rapport and evolved into an interview on difficulties encountered in accessing and using information. Participants were asked to identify and explain their lived experience on the difficulties encountered in navigating refugees’ information landscapes in the settlement. Data was analysed thematically using ATLAS.ti computer-based package version 24 in which themes were found in the data and presented as study findings on impediments to information access and use.

Underpinning rigour and quality in research are necessary if a research is to generate relevant knowledge and proof that can back practice. As such, researchers of qualitative studies ought to safeguard the quality of data in trustworthiness and credibility (Ngulube, 2015). To ensure rigour and data quality, strategies such as checking instruments for obvious mistakes as well as test and retest of the research instrument prior to data collection were adopted. The researchers focused on the richness, depth, and data appropriateness for quality such that analysis offers sufficient evidence in response to the study objectives (Stenfors et al., 2020; Tomaszewski et al., 2020). The researchers were thorough and exact in recording, spent prolonged time in the field to ensure a thorough understanding of the phenomenon, carried out Peer debriefing, ensured good records keeping, using rich and verbatim participants description and as well ensured clarity in the thought process of analysing and interpreting data (Creswell, 2014; Flick, 2014; Noble & Smith, 2015; Sarantakos, 2013).

Thematic analysis aims at producing thematic areas as opposed to creating core classes or categories as seen in theoretical coding (Braun & Clarke, 2023; Ngulube, 2015). Thematic analysis involved data familiarisation, transcription, coding, themes identification, definition, categorisation, and review and was followed by report writing. All recordings were transcribed verbatim and imported to ATLAS.ti. This process was done for all 52 transcripts including 48 individual interview transcripts and 4 FGDs transcripts. For each transcript that was added to the software, coding was done to completion before importing or adding another transcript in the sequence. Reading through the transcript one sentence after another, key words and key word phrases that resonated to the study were identified and added as codes. The researchers as well identified and highlighted stand out sentences and or phrases that would convey a participant’s thoughts or feeling for reporting purposes and captured them as quotations using the quotations function in the software package. A list of codes was generated with the software automatically summing up similar codes in such a way that codes already captured would reflect number of times the code had been captured. The relationship between codes was established and those codes that represented the same bearing or meaning were merged. Themes were developed by linking the relationship between codes as was highlighted and seen in the Software. Developed themes were then presented to illuminate the study findings.

Ethics in research is important because it advances the goals of research including truth, knowledge, and error avoidance in research; it upholds vital collaborative work tenets like accountability, mutual respect, fairness, and trust (Resnik, 2021). Researchers were keen on ensuring ethics in the course and after the research process. The purpose of the study was clarified to the participants, the selection process of the elements and why they were part of the study. The privacy of participants was respected by ensuring confidentiality in the research process. Participants were assured that they would voluntarily involve themselves in the study and that their consent to participate in the study would be sought. They were reminded that their participation in the study was not by coercion and that they had a right to withdraw from the study at any point in time when they felt uncomfortable to continue. Sensitive questions of any form that would cause psychological and social harm to the participants were minimised (Akaranga & Makau, 2016; Arifin, 2018; Creswell & Creswell, 2018; Fleming & Zegwaard, 2018; Kivunja & Kuyini, 2017). This study received written approval from the Research Ethics Review Committee of the University of South Africa (18029426_CREC_CHS_2024) on February 6, 2024.

Limitations of the study were seen in some participants in both individual interviews and FGDs. Some participants failed to express themselves well and some were overshadowed by others during the FGDs. Also, due to the need for interpreters during data collection, a lot more time was spent in the field than would have been in situation without language barrier.

Findings

Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement Context

All refugees accommodated in the settlement were South Sudanese who lived in a settlement system built on zones, clusters, and villages. Five zones made up the settlement with each zone subdivided into clusters of 5 villages each. Elected local councils called Refugee Welfare Councils (RWCs) governed the settlement on behalf of the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) from village to Zone level. The RWC1 was present at the village level, the cluster level was governed by the RWC2, and the zone level governed by the RWC3. This study was particularly conducted in zone 4 of the settlement. With support from partners like the Real Medicine Foundation (RMF), the International Rescue Committee (IRC), etc., a few health centres were accessible to the refugees particularly Bidi Bidi health centre IV and Bolomoni health centre III at the boarder of Bidi Bidi settlement and the Imvepi refugee settlement in Terego district. Similarly, refugees had access to schools from Early Child Development (ECDs) to primary and secondary school education. Refugees reported access to social and vocation centres especially for youth and women refugees in the zone. In addition to the RWCs, the settlement had a presence of local police that ensured peace and order in the settlement. Refugees decried poor living conditions in the settlement including poor medical supplies, poor sanitation, overcrowding in the settlement, inadequate space in schools and health centres, few health workers, few teachers especially for the ECD programmes, lack of electricity, infighting between tribes in the settlement, etc.

Demographic Features of Participants

Refugees at Bidi Bidi settlement spoke different languages due to the different South Sudan ethnic groups where the refugees originated. They spoke English, Kakwa, Afua, Bari, Nuer, Lango, Acholi, Madi, Kiswahili, Zande, and Lugbara. Kakwa and Arabic were the most spoken languages among refugees. The study participants comprised 30 males and 30 females of which 50 were refugees, 3 refugee service providers, 4 OPM staff and 3 partners’ staff. Of the 50 refugee participants 12 were youthful while 38 were gown up adults. The age ranges of youth were from 19 to 29 while gown up adults ranged from 36 to 61 years. It was found that most refugees had stayed in the settlement for over 8 years since their arrival as the settlement closed its doors to new refugees in December 2016 as it had reached its full capacity.

Impediments to Refugees’ Information Access and Use

In their seeking and use of information, refugees in the settlement grappled with several difficulties and challenges that made their seeking problematic and, in some cases, unsuccessful. The notable difficulties that were identified included the issue of language barrier, issues related to feed back as well as the long distances that refugees had to travel to get to information points and centres.

Language Barrier

The different languages encountered by the refugees and refugee administrators and providers also made it difficult for refugees to smoothly sail through the information environment. The settlement had over 10 different languages spoken with Kakwa, Arabic, and English being the most common. Where a refugee could not speak Arabic, Kakwa, or some English, this was a big problem in navigating the information landscape in the settlement. Most refugees did not understand the English language which made it difficult to communicate with partners and OPM officials directly. Arabic was identified as the most common Language in the settlement yet some refugees, officers of OPM, administrators as well as partners of the OPM didn’t understand the Language. In both FGDs and individual interviews, language barrier was reported across most refugees and refugee administrators. The use of translators and interpreters was adopted to overcome this challenge but it was also found that the translators in the settlement and centres were few. One of the refugees in an interview pointed out that,

Some leaders do not understand your language. They understand little English and If you don’t speak Arabic or Kakwa, then they may not understand you and you need to go with your parent to translate, but sometimes it is difficult depending on the information you want (Participant 8, 2024).

Some refugees lacked trust in the interpreters as they felt that their information was sometimes wrongly interpreted because the feedback they got in some cases was not what they expected. It was suggested in FGDs that service centres should have interpreters at all times. A respondent in a FGD pointed out thus,

The complaint desk (refugee help desk) should have people who can translate the language if the one you find there doesn’t know the language you speak (FGD 3, 2024).

Feedback Issues

Feedback issues were also highly cited as drawbacks in the seeking and use of information by refugees. Feedback issues entailed the absence and lack of feedback on requests made, delayed feed when it came and, in some cases, wrong and unexpected feedback received in comparison to the information request made. One of the participants on the lack of feedback said,

In our community village meetings which are held monthly, we communicate our issues to the chairpersons and the board so that our issues can be forwarded but at times these issues do not reach because we don’t get feedback. Because if we don’t get information on the issues we raise, it means that our issues did not reach (Participant 49, 2024).

Refugees stressed the need for feedback in their plight regardless of whether the feedback returned was positive for their desires and needs or negative. In one of the FGDs with refugees, it was pointed out thus,

Feedback is important for us even if it is bad. Because when you get it, you know what is happening (FGD 2, 2024).

In cases where the feedback was received, the feedback delayed. It also cost some refugees as they had to travel the long distances to pick feedback multiple time. One of the refugee participants in an interview expressed,

Sometimes it’s not easy to get information because like when you want to get information about the community issues you forwarded or needed feedback, it doesn’t come back in time. Sometimes when you have cases reported, feedback won’t come back soon so it’s difficult to get information (Participant 43, 2024).

Some refugees also complained about unclear feedback that was communicated to them in that the messages received were not helpful. They reported that sometimes the information given by the administrators was not clear. It was reported that in some cases leader and humanitarian workers did not give time to understand the request of the people and they took too long to respond and give feedback. In interviews with some of the refugees administrators in the settlement, they reported the changing information in the process of transfer as a major hinderance in information access and use among the refugees. The intended information for refugees would sometimes change in the process of transfer by individuals that were charged with the task of disseminating information to others either consciously or unconsciously. This was linked to either language barrier or failure to correctly interpret information during dissemination. In an interview with an administrator in the OPM, it was noted thus,

The biggest challenge we face is the changing information since it’s passed through many people (Participant 24, 2024).

In some cases, refugees reported that when feedback delayed, they contacted their local leaders to help and follow up on their behalf with partners in order to get feedback whether the feedback was positive or negative. In one of the FGDs, a youth pointed out thus,

I sometimes can approach our local leader and the leader will approach the OPM then bring feedback to me (FGD 4, 2024).

Refugees recommended that refugee support centres like the complaints desk operational hours needed to be extended to include weekends. The operational hours for offices were reported as inadequate especially for refugees that were located long distances away from the offices. Although inadequate staff numbers were reported as a barrier to information access in some community centres, refugees suggested the need to employ more volunteers to attend to their information request and needs for extended hours. In one of the interviews, a participant stated thus,

Centres like the complaint desk should be open from Monday to Sunday because we even have issues to find out on weekend. But some time you get many people on Monday because these centers don’t open over the weekend (Participant 32, 2024).

It was noted that the OPM and partners had put up a refugee support centre where complaints including the delayed feedback could be reported and followed up even using toll free lines to speak directly to the partners responsible for particular issues.

Long Distances

The long distance that had to be moved by refugees was an issue of discomfort to refugees in their quest for information. Bidi Bidi settlement is large and comprised of 5 zones and each zone was divided into clusters where each cluster had about 5 villages. As such some refugees’ villages were located far from most information centres such as the OPM, complain desk, health centre, women’s and youth centres in the base camp. Refugees had to move long distances to access these centres and, in some cases, multiple times especially when their feedback had not been returned or the where information providers were not at their work stations. One of the refugees in an interview opined thus,

The distance you move to get the information I want is very far. for example, if I want to see a block leader, it is far away, I have to move a long distance (Participant 7, 2024).

This problem was further compounded when it came to people that were physically impaired and would not handle moving long distances and yet they did not have supportive tools like wheel chairs to support their locomotion. To the persistent information seekers driven by urgence and value attached to information, they actively continued to seek the information they wanted while others yielded and gave up in the process. This was especially so for people with disabilities who did not have locomotion tools like wheelchairs to aid their movement. Refugees reported that they endured the long distances to find the information they needed while physically handicapped refugees relied on friends and family for information they needed. In one the interviews, a participants states thus,

See my brother there. We just carry him sometimes to go with us to the youth centre. He likes using computers but we just carry him sometimes but most of the time he remains here at home (Participant 38, 2024).

Similarly, during a FGD with local leaders, one participant stated thus,

When we present our issues, it takes time to get feedback and also sometimes it costs us because we have to travel to base camp and it is a problem for people with disabilities to go to those places (FGD 3, 2024).

Lack of Communication Tools

Many refugees reported lack of phones especially smart phones as a challenge in their search and use of information. They expressed that having phones would ease communication and would enable them seek information using phones but only a few of them owned phones. The majority of refugees lacked smart phones which they wanted because it would enable them access internet sources of information especially social media. Some refugees reported sharing smartphones with their friends if they wanted to search the internet. It noted that sharing these devices was dependent on willingness to share the costs of mobile internet data bundles to surf the internet. Refugees that had phones whether small button phones or smartphones complained of the high costs for both airtime and internet data bundles which limited their use of these tools in their information seeking. In one of the interviews, a refugee noted thus,

Most of us don’t have radio so we miss out on important information.

The world is digitalized but you find that of all the refugees in the community, it is a few who have radios at home. So, we lag behind so much (Participant 11, 2024).

Although there were reports that internet points in the settlement in which free internet was available through wireless connections, the refugees reported that the internet was at only one point in their zone and that the network was unstable. Refugees noted that the available tablets were few to accommodate their number. In one of the discussions in a FGD with refugees, it was noted that:

The tablets are few compared to the number of people using them. 8 tablets for cluster 1 and 6 tablets for cluster 2. Some of the youth can’t access them. Also, the internet network is not stable for use in cluster 2 (FGD 2, 2024).

Sharing devices was the most identified strategy adopted by refugees to ensure access to certain specific information especially news on radio and scholarship opportunities on the internet. Some refugees shared the use of radios, smart phones, and tablets for their benefit.

Limited Access to News Media and Tools

Refugees decried the lack and limited access to news through newspapers and television. It was reported that refugees were interested in news especially about their home countries which they would be accessible through newspapers and television. Although some refugees owned television sets, majority of refugees lacked access to television. It was reported that the settlement lacked a central place where television could be watched but rather there was a video hall in one of the centres where movies where filmed. In a FGD with religious leaders, it was pointed out thus,

There is no place within the settlement reserved for Television but there is a hall in the centre where you can pay some money to watch although they don’t show news most times but they just film movies (FGD 3, 2024).

Some refugees pointed out that the video halls were people’s business points and often streamed movies since the locals were not interested in broadcasting news. Some refugees reported visiting friends that owned television sets to watch news about their home countries and status in their camps especially when they waited for relief aid from the donors. In one of the interviews, a participant stated thus,

I don’t have television but some families have television. Sometimes I go to watch television at the home of my friend. We are many who come to watch television for news in the evening before we go back to our homes. I want UNHCR to set up a television centre for us because there are people, the elderly, who want to know what is taking place outside the settlement (Participant 31, 2024).

Refugees expressed lack of access to newspapers in the settlement as another source of news on what was happening around them. However, it was reported by some school going refugees that they seldomly got access to newspapers at their schools. In a FGD with youths, one participant stated thus,

We receive newspapers at the primary school sometimes but we only get old ones. The new ones are not there. We get the street talk and new vision (FGD 2, 2024).

Poor IT and Information Literacy Levels

Refugees reported the lack of knowledge in effectively utilising technology gadget available to them in the settlements. As it was reported that the settlement had a youth centre which was stocked with some tablets, most youth expressed the lack of knowledge in using these computer gadgets. In one of the interviews with a refugee administrator, it was stated thus,

The youth centres have stocked with tablets by some of our partners which are used by the Youth who don’t have smart phones to search the internet. Most of the youths however lack the knowledge to adequately use these tablets (Participant 3, 2024).

Most refugees reported the lack of skills and knowledge in using ICT tools especially the computers and tablets at the youth centres. During a FGD with youth in the settlement, it was pointed thus,

We want to know how to use computers and tablets in the youth centre to learn how to access the internet (FGD 4, 2024).

It was also reported that most refugees lacked information literacy skill especially the ability to read and interpret messages because of their poor education background. It was reported that refugees had a very poor reading culture. During their information seeking, refugees as well referred to notices on building and notice boards for information although majority could not make sense of the notices due to the low literacy levels. In one of the interviews with a refugee administrator at the OPM in the settlement, it was opined thus,

Some few refugees use written information sources like notice boards and newspapers here at office but there reading culture is very poor. Reading seems burdensome to most of them so most of the information we give them is verbal through their local leaders the Refugee Welfare councils (RWCs) (Participant 24, 2024).

Refugees preferred verbal information to written information in their information environment. In an interview with one of the refugees, it was pointed out that,

Some of us are people who came from South Sudan uneducated. Some of the people here dropped out of school early and our reading is not good. I always want the information to be said to me (Participant 45, 2024).

Tribalism

In their quest and access to information, some refugees highlighted tribalism as a major setback to equal access to information among the refugees in the community. Although they were all from South Sudan, they belonged to different tribes and sects. Some refugees decried some of their leaders for tribalism in disseminating information especially regarding training and sponsorship opportunities that were available. In one of the interviews on one of the refugees, it was noted thus,

Some information when it comes, some of us don’t get it because some of our local leaders have tribalism and they give chance to their tribemates and for us we don’t get the information (Participant 50, 2024).

It was reported by some refugees that they consulted different sources of information especially when they realised the leader that had information about scholarship opportunities only told his relatives and tribemates. Refugees used their networks to share information for each other’s benefit. In one interview, a youth noted that

One time I went with my friend to our leader asking about scholarship but the leader said he did not know any news on scholarships. When my friend went back alone, he was given the information and he shared with me. But we both did not get the scholarship (Participant 42, 2024).

In another interview with a religious leader, it was stated thus

There are some leaders in this camp who still practice tribalism and discrimination even in their duties yet we are one person with the same problem here. because all of us this is not our home, but some leaders are not good. They give the good information to only their people and in secret (Participant 14, 2024).

Tribalism and discrimination was the most discussed element in FGDs for youth, religious leaders and other general refugees in the settlement. As some refugees reported not experiencing or facing discrimination in their information seeking, some stressed it and pointed out example of leaders that were tribalistic and discriminatory in their service delivery.

Low Electricity Coverage

Electricity was only visible in a few centres and majority lacked gadgets that needed electricity to function. It was observed in the setup of the settlement that most refugees’ households lacked electricity connection which made it difficult to have access to television which would provide current affairs and news as needed by the refugees. In one of the FGDs, a participant opined thus,

We need electricity to be extended to some of us such that we are able to charge our phone batteries. But charging here is expensive and we don’t earn money. We only get for survival. Sometime your phone can go off for days because the battery is low (FGD 1, 2024).

Solar systems were observed on a few households. Most of those that had solar connections used the solar for lighting. Refugees that owned phones also decried the limited access to electricity which made it difficult to charge their phone batteries which in turn affected their communication and access to information. They resorted to friends and business people who used solar power to provide charging points for phones in the settlement. Refugees reported that they were charged 500 Ugandan shillings for each charging for each phone which they said was very expensive in their situations without jobs.

Psychological Issues

Refugees expressed difficulties in finding and using information as a result of several psychological factors including stress, fear, angers and frustration which influenced their information behaviour. Some refugees were naturally fearful and would not comfortably seek information from people except from family and friends. Fear posed a big influence on the information seeking behaviour of refugees especially among youths and school going children. During a FGD with youths, one of the participants opined thus,

I think I am just shy. Most times I fear talking to the teachers to ask them what I want when I am alone. But when I have my friends around, I don’t fear, I ask (FGD 2, 2024).

In another FGD with refugee administrators, a participant stated thus,

Some of our people fear to ask what they want directly from us the leaders. Of course, they have their reasons for fearing and you can see some of them in our community meetings. But when you talk to them secretly, they can open up and ask what they want (FGD 1, 2024).

The element of fear in information seeking and use was also noticed among refugees that feared for their lives and were in hiding especially former soldiers and their wives. Such refugees were in constant fear to seek information in open places and always sought information in secret. Some refugees suffered from stress and frustration in their predicament and as a result turned into passive seekers. Frustration had a bearing on how people sought information in the settlement. In one of the interviews with a participant, it was stated that,

The information finds me here. For me I am tired. I am very tired because there is nothing. Even when you tell them your problem, there is no feedback. Today, tomorrow, and tomorrow again. There is no feedback. I am very tired (Participant 6, 2024).

In another interview with an adult participant, it was opined that,

It’s only stress that disturbs me because I am old and I can’t do much. This situation we are in is too stressing especially for old people like me. So, if I want to know something, I can ask my son who stays with me (Participant 57, 2024).

Anger and frustration hindered refugees information seeking. Some gave up on seeking information and turned into passive seekers. Refugees as well had trust issues with information from certain sources. Because of lack of trust in some information source, refugees did not seek information from such sources and never considered the information valid. Trust in information sources varied from one refugee to another. Some refugees did not trust information from some local leaders, while others did not trust social media and some the radio.

Several difficulties were reported by refugees and refugee administrators affecting the seeking and use of information by refugees at Bidi Bidi refugee settlement. Technological, sociological, and physical difficulties hindered refugees’ access to information.

Discussion

Refugees faced various difficulties in their quest for and use of information which greatly hampered their partaking of information in the settlement. Refugees at Bidi Bidi settlement were incumbered by economical, technological, and sociological snags which negated information access and use.

Feedback issues including delays in feedback, unclear feedback, unexpected feedback or even the absence of it hinders refugees’ information access and use. Feedback issues gave rise to other issues that could affect seeking and using behaviour of refugees including yielding and giving up on the search for information. Di Giovanni et al. (2013) and Martzoukou and Burnett (2018) in their studies on refugees opined that refugees experienced a dearth of timely, accurate, regular, and actionable information for their protection, decision-making, and survival. Arguably, delayed feedback can become useless especially when the purpose for which the information was sought is no longer feasible. Timely feedback can positively influence the information seeking and use behaviour of refugees.

Language barrier complicates search and use of information in refugee environment with language diversity making it difficult to effectively communicate and share information. Refugees in such diverse linguistic environment may not be understood by information providers and yet the use of interpreters may not be fully trusted because the process of interpretation may change the meaning attributed to information. In their study, Abood et al. (2023) opined that the lack of proficiency in the languages of the host country is an information accessing, seeking and using barrier. Similarly, Kainat et al. (2022) in their study on women refugees stated that the lack of good language and literacy skills to comprehend local systems was a major difficulty that faced women refugees in Sweden. Studies have suggested that language is one of the key barriers to accessing information by refugees (Johnston et al., 2024). Language was one of the major challenges refugees of NWU reported, and yet according to Mårtensson et al. (2020), language barrier is made worse by the poor skill and abilities of language interpreters which affects the refugees’ information landscape.

The changing information as a result of its transit through different vessels affects the quality of information consumed by the refugees. Altered information whether received, sought or disseminated, poses a negative influence on the information seeking and use by refugees resulting in stress, frustration and anger. It was pointed out by Yeon and Lee (2021) that psychological issues constrained refugees’ information behaviour and often resulted in passive information seeking. As a result of frustration and anger, refugees’ information seeking can be hindered resulting in information poverty among refugees. Refugee system structures keep refugees away from direct contact with officers in charge of refugees like the OPM and partners which can cultivate the ground for changing information in the process of dissemination. As reported by Obodoruku (2019), the absence of information as well as access to the UNHCR offices as a result of inflexible boundaries posed on accessing the office is a difficulty for the refugees in their information seeking. He argued that refugees felt a deprivation to freely accessible information so as to be up to date and as well discover information types available with UNHCR that would be useful to their plight. The administrative structure of the settlement had a RWC, a local council for refugees which operated as the conduit between the refugees, the OPM and partners.

The long distances moved by refugees affected their information behaviour especially where some felt reluctant to move long distance to the centres. The literature has limited visibility of distance as a difficulty for refugees but the unique nature of Bidi Bidi settlement presented this difficulty. Yeon and Lee (2021) have explained that refugees may end up abandoning some information sources or even refuse to seek for information as a result of psychological issues like discomfort or reluctance. The long distances created discomfort among some refugees in their quest for information yet in some cases discrimination in information dissemination on tribal grounds was reported. The diversity of tribes among refugees cultivates a discrimination culture in information dissemination endangering the information behaviour of refugees due to censorship of information by some leaders due to tribal differences. Hassan and Wolfram (2020) opine that steering through racial barriers and the American negative view of Africans involving discrimination on racial grounds were huddles faced by African refugees in the United States. Racial differences especially tribalism among some refugees in NWU poses a negative impact on the information behaviour of refugees.

The poor distribution of communication gadgets such as phones, radio, tablets, television, coupled with the lack of electricity and internet make it difficult for refugees to obtain information. Brown et al. (2020) note that refugees in Uganda are constrained with poor infrastructure including electricity. In the same line, Quintanilla (2012) reported that refugees complained of the absence of electricity. Access to electricity would assure refugees of charged phone batteries. Although some refugees are cognisant of the importance of technologies in the seeking and use of information, most refugees have a dearth of knowledge and skills to adopt technologies in their quest and use of information. Yeon and Lee (2021) and Shuva (2018) in their studies have shown that refugees lacked good IT and language skills that are essential in seeking information. Similarly, Lloyd et al. (2013), Hicks and Lloyd (2016), and Beretta et al. (2018) have pointed out that refugees suffered from information illiteracy, digital and computer illiteracy which as a result hinders their capability to comprehend and timely respond in the information environment.

The lack of IT skills and the absences of adequate IT gadgets affect the information seeking practices and behaviour of refugees at Bidi Bidi settlement despite their awareness and desire to use ICT gadgets in their information environment. The poverty levels among refugees especially that they rely on aid and the few that have some income generating activities can only support their sustenance, exacerbates the situation. Refugees could not afford these gadgets to support their information seeking. As reported by Nekesa Akullo and Odong (2017), Internews and UNHCR (2023), and Beretta et al. (2018), financial constraints could not permit refugees to buy communication gadgets like radios, mobile phones and television sets hindering their satisfaction of information needs. Most refugees in NWU were financially constrained to afford ICT tools as sources of information. Brown et al. (2020) opine that refugees in Uganda who had access to radio were below 25%. Such occurrences in the settlement make information seeking and use among refugees more incumbered.

Conclusion

The most common difficulties of language barrier, feedback issues and long distances highlighted the extent to which sociological and physical barriers affected the refugees in information seeking compared to technological and psychological factors. This study shows prevalent and rare impediments in refugees information seeking and use which offers a foundation upon which refugees providers can develop suitable avenues that support refugees’ information uptake and assimilation in their lives and activities. Information has a strong impact on how people respond to different situations by improving their awareness before decision-making. Information access for refugees is critical in their plight to support their integration and sustenance in host communities. Several barriers were registered as stumbling blocks in the information seeking and use behaviour of refugees in NWU. Although most difficulties reported were beyond the personal orientation of the refugee and not under their control, some impediments were as a result of the person seeking especially the psychological difficulties. Dealing with psychological issues of stress, frustration, trust and anger could help the refugees to improve and ameliorate their information seeking and use in the settlement.

Policy Recommendations

The established difficulties offer insights that can shape the integration and settlement of refugees in different contexts through information dissemination. Refugee administrators should encourage open communication networks, equity, trust, impartiality, and inclusiveness in the refugees’ information landscape so as to foster a levelled information terrain for all refugees. All refugees should have open avenues that allow them to equally seek information directly from all providers including OPM staff. Policy makers and refugee providers ought to design policies and systems that support refugees training in basic information and digital literacy skills to improve information uptake and use. Integrating both conventional and modern tools in information delivery increases information uptake across all categories of refugees. Partnering with public and community libraries in the host communities is critical in refugees’ information seeking and dissemination. Public libraries can be influential in integrating refugees well in their host communities through library services such as information literacy training, information dissemination, second language acquisition, etc. which can be offered as community outreach endeavours. Official social media platforms including Facebook Messenger, Viber, Telegram, and WhatsApp can be used to increase information sharing and seeking among the refugees. Programmes by host nations and refugee providers on language acquisition for refugees and refugee providers are essential to reduce on issues of language barrier. Teaching sessions for language acquisition in the settlements can be intensified to ease seeking and use of information. Recognising the language diversity and the low literacy levels among refugees in North Western Uganda, information repackaging ventures such as translation services for information whether written or verbal to languages better understood by refugees can be done in order to ensure that information dissemination meets information utilisation and uptake.

Footnotes

ORCID iDs

Isaac Mukungu

Patrick Ngulube

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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Navigating Refugees’ Information Landscapes: Examining Impediments to Refugees’ Information Access and Use in North Western Uganda

Abstract

Keywords

Introduction

Literature Review

Methodology

Findings

Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement Context

Demographic Features of Participants

Impediments to Refugees’ Information Access and Use

Language Barrier

Feedback Issues

Long Distances

Lack of Communication Tools

Limited Access to News Media and Tools

Poor IT and Information Literacy Levels

Tribalism

Low Electricity Coverage

Psychological Issues

Discussion

Conclusion

Policy Recommendations

Footnotes

ORCID iDs

Funding

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

References