Main Feature: Life in a refugee camp and the crave for home

Doing ordinary jobs to raise money for taking care of his family of five kids and a wife back in the Congo, Jerevieh Kanyamareere was living a modest and satisfied life. However much he didn’t have enough wealth, little did he know that a turning point to his family life was just around the corner. As fate dictated Kanyamareere just like other thousands of people and their families were caught up in an absurd twist of life. They are in a refugee camp following the political unrest perpetuated by the interahamwe militias in the Congo where they fled after executing genocide in Rwanda. The Kiziba refugee camp in Karongi district is home to eighteen thousand refugees. These came from Congo and are mainly supported by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the Rwandan government through MINALOC and other partners. Though its one of the best facilitated camps compared to the few I have visited sombre faces and melancholic voices punctuated most inhabitants of this vast refugee camp. Kanyamareere slides in deep thought as he recounts the lot life has taken away from him. He narrates that back then in 1996 he came to the camp with five children but the cruel hand of death took one of them. However, while in the camp he has been blessed with three more kids. Life in the camp is a reality and it’s not at all funny. It’s like an imitation of the life that happens outside it. The road going to the refugee camp is dusty and rugged stretching close to 20 kilometers from Kibuye town centre. The only refreshment while travelling to the camp are the hilly meadows spreading to the vast mountains and the crimson sun that gives the whole scenery a golden splendour. Observing the shimmering white brilliance of the roofing’s a top camp houses as seen a few hills away from the interior, one cannot fathom what exactly happens inside Kiziba refugee camp. It is a totally different world when an outsider enters the refugee camp. Visibly desperate kids solemnly stare if not gather around whoever seems to be new in anticipation of a handout even if it’s an empty mineral water bottle. You can also see that vulnerability has taken a significant toll on many people in the camp. The day’s event was inaugurating a water project in the camp which was implemented to solve the water problem faced by the camp inhabitants. They have had to walk long distances to collect water for their daily chores and survival. This will surely alleviate some of the suffering. Besides the podium where the speeches were made, hang a bunch of kids all ranging between 5 to 14 years of age. Though some of their attires were visibly ill-fitting, they were clean. They looked on emotionlessly and seemed to be in their own world, a world of innocence as it reminded me that these kids had no input in this fate. Among these kids was Isaac Kibaruta. Clad in a navy blue school uniform, 11 year old Isaac looked far smaller than his age. However, given the conditions of life he has lived in all his life, this cannot be blamed on him. He speaks in a low tone and a visible shyness which can be linked to the despair and a feeling of inadequacy written all over his face. He doesn’t smile for the biggest part of our conversation. Isaac likes playing football which he does with his classmates during break time. He stays with his father, mother and other six siblings. He also revealed that he heard from his parents that they came from Congo. He says this has increased his curiosity to know how it is in his country of origin. Some of the refugees would probably be in worse conditions in their home countries than they are in currently. However, due to the fact that they know they are refugees in a foreign country, this psychological disposition coupled with the nostalgia of the time while in their homes and a thousand wishes, makes things worse for them while in camps. During his speech, the representative of the refugees heartily thanked the Rwandan government, UNHCR and other partners who have tirelessly supported them during their stay in this camp. He couldn’t hold back his emotions though. He tearfully urged all partners to gear these same efforts and enthusiasm towards convincing the Congo government and creating conditions for their return home. The refugee problem is as old as mankind, many Rwandans some decades back were refugees in neighbouring countries like Congo, Burundi and Uganda. They lived there for a long time to the extent that their language was included in some of the constitutions of those countries. The most vivid refugee camps in Uganda which were homes to many Rwandan refugees there are Nyakivaare and Nshungerezi. The ordeals of life in these two places are endless if you asked Rwandans who lived there. The overriding factors driving people into refugee camps are internal and external political instabilities. However this status sometimes leads them into conflicts with locals, famine and epidemics. These are some of the problems agencies like UNHCR strive to eliminate or prevent. What is striking about this refugee camp is that amidst all this misery, the women have put themselves together into a committee devoted towards advocating for their rights and improving the livelihoods of the vulnerable groups in the camp. During an interview with Console Nyiramutuzo the committee president, they saw it necessary to join hands in the cause of improving peoples lives in the camp mostly the vulnerable. They do advocacy for family planning, women and children’s rights, family counselling and gender mainstreaming. “Previously there was rampant violation of women’s rights in this camp. So we took advantage of the times when the Rwandan government is involved in empowering to rise up. These programs have also been extended to us and now we are more assertive and fearless in managing our destinies,” said Nyiramutuzo. Another ray of hope and progress in this camp are the Income Generating Activities that have been put in place by various support partners. Through this committee, women are given small loans to start up businesses which include selling food stuffs and general merchandise from where they obtain profits and pass on the capital to others to also benefit. This has changed the status of many who expressed gratitude. There are also other deliberate efforts of promoting self-sustainability. Although it’s still a long shot, projects like provision of vocational skills which include weaving, tailoring, baking cakes and bread, have changed a few people’s lives. The camp has a market where men and women go and sell produce to the different families which come to shop additional supplies to those provided from the camp’s food distribution centre. The profits they get from these goods are very small and most women deal in these supplies just to get a small portion of good food for their little ones who cant chew cooked maize seeds (impungure). There is reportedly a considerable number of people living with HIV and AIDS. These, together with the severely malnourished children are fed on a special therapeutic diet at the therapeutic centre. The therapeutic diet is prescribed by the HIV eradication and treatment centre where these people go for testing, follow up, treatment and reception of ARVs and other nutritional supplements. Other services offered here also include palliative care and psychosocial support to the infected and affected people by HIV/AIDS. In a bid to ease the education need, the camp partners established a nursery, primary and secondary sections. The secondary section is from senior one to three and it is complimented with a computer laboratory where students go for computer lessons. The SundayMag interviewed Annette Nyekan, the UNHCR representative on the progress of the repatriation process of these refugees. Returning home seemed to be the greatest desire of the refugees. Nyekan disclosed that the process is underway and they are just waiting for the conditions to be favourable. “We encourage voluntary repatriation but before that we first make sure the conditions are favourable so that the safety of the repatriated refugees is guaranteed,” she explained. She also added that at the end of this month there is going to be a tripartite meeting and it’s in this that the issue will be discussed and a final decision taken. The recently completed Umoja-wetu operation which was jointly undertaken by both the Rwanda and DR Congo governments, achieved a considerable milestone in reinstating peace in the troubled Great Lakes Region. It tackled the ultimate obstacle to peace in this region, which has for long been the FDLR remnants who have committed untold atrocities there. Hopefully, within a short time, the refugees will be able to shed of that label and return home where they have a strong emotional and social attachment. This seems their ultimate prayer and may it be answered soon. Ends