Editor,

RE: "New effort launched to promote self-reliance among refugees” (The New Times, September 26).

It is a fact that life in refugee camps can be very disturbing and daunting. It is, therefore, very sad to read in your article that some of the refugees, particularly Congolese, have been staying in Rwanda since the 1990s.

The joint initiative of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Relief (Midimar), and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), which will see different refugee camps around the country become more economically self-reliant, is commendable.

Remarkable Rwanda is, as reported in your article, home to over 200,000 refugees

That is no small number.

The master plan of empowering refugees as well as enhancing economic development of the host communities, through refugee self-reliance initiatives, will go a long way in boosting the morale of these unfortunate individuals and, at the same time, serve as an example for other countries faced with refugee challenges to emulate.

The Government of Rwanda is always pro-active and attuned to the needs of all those who live in the country, be they citizens, expats or even as we can now see, refugees.

Clarence Fernandes