Day 17

We had a very early start and left the guest house at 7am to travel to a refugee camp on the Congolese border with Rwanda. On the way here, we visited a Deaconess community. This was an opportunity for Annie to meet with other Deacons from different denominations. We were shown around the site which included, accommodation, eating areas, and gardens. We stayed here for about an hour and then moved on to go to the refugee camp. There were 18,000 refugees here. This was one camp out of three. We were welcomed in to the Methodist church in the camp with singing and dancing. After some introductions to the congregation, we were invited to sing for them. We sang two Kinyawanda songs which they enjoyed. After this, we taught them an English song, Hallelujah Praise ye the Lord. Which they were thoroughly pleased about as they saw it as us all being one group of brothers and sisters. They thanked us for the roof which we had raised money for and we were then shown around part of the camp. As we got out of the bus, hundreds of children came to greet us. They were eager to hold our hands, touch us and shout “MUZUNGU”. We were shocked at the conditions of their living, sewage running down the streets. The children had sores, their hair was orange. These were the worst conditions we had seen children in. There was only a primary school which the leaders in the camp were most concerned about. Some of these people had lived here for 15 years and we were told the people were “Existing not living”. Everywhere we have visited there has been a sense of hope and a plan to improve but here, there was nothing. There was no hope and no plan. The population was increasing, not because of new refugees entering but because of the amount of children being born here. This is all they know and this new life will have to stay living in a refugee camp and they know nothing different. Their source of food comes from the United Nations World Food Program. If this didn't arrive, they didn't eat. It arrives regularly by truck. However if there is a reason why it cannot come, such as during the rainy season or the roads are closed, then food cannot be delivered. This means the camp does not eat. This shows how they depend and rely on others completely. Their homes were nothing more than mud bricks with the UNWFP polythene roof. We had a meeting with the leaders of the camp and they told us how they needed a plan to improve the camp. The problem is the publicity of the camp. As nothing changes in it, the news are NOT willing to cover the issue. The second problem is, where to start. There is so much that needs doing. The main thing they were then worried about was the education in the camp. They would need funding to increase the scholarships as the level of education in the camp only goes up to Primary level.

Once we had this meeting, we got back into the bus and started the 4 hour journey back to the guest house.