Refugees in Rwanda coding for a brighter future
Refugees in Rwanda coding for a brighter future
When Patrick Birori fled from the South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo to Rwanda in 2007, he had completely lost hope for the future. 15 years later, he’s striving to become one of the best programmers and help his community get IT-enabled solutions.
“When the war erupted in South Kivu, I was in senior one. All my school documents were burned, several family members were killed, my mother and father went missing since then. It was catastrophic,” the 28-year refugee recalls, adding that three of his siblings were killed.
Patrick, his older brother, sister, and grandmother then fled to Rwanda for their safety. Aged 13, it was hard to understand what was happening to him. Thanks to the counseling he got at Nyabiheke camp, he managed to cope with the distress he went through.
“I decided to go back to school, but I had no documents to prove that I was in senior one before fleeing. I thought that my documents could not have been burned if they were kept electronically; that’s one of the reasons I decided to pursue IT so that I never lose my documents again,” he says.
In secondary school, Patrick studied computer science as he wanted to pursue a career in IT. After completing high school, he was lucky to get a job as an ICT teacher but he left the employment a year later so he could focus on coding training.
“Coding is not an easy thing, but I was ready to face that challenge and I made it because I’ve always been very passionate about it,” he points out. “I am not yet where I want to be, but I think I’ve already achieved at least 60% of my expectations.”
Through the coding school that was established in Nyabiheke refugee camp in 2019, Patrick has been able to flourish. The school, which is supported by UNHCR Innovation Service and operated by UNHCR Rwanda’s partner ALIGHT, is also open to Rwandan students from the host community nearby. Although the training was initially planned to last for six months, the COVID-19 pandemic caused some delays and the first cohort of 10 students including Patrick graduated last July.
As soon as the coding school opened its doors, Patrick started working on an idea he had held for a while.. Dubbed “Health Center Management System,” the project works offline and is meant to help record data at health facilities.
“I want to help health facilities record their data because recording them manually is time-consuming and book records can be lost easily,” he explains. He adds that the prototype is now ready to go live once he secures financial backing.
Based on this passion and since completing the coding school, Patrick has been recruited by ALIGHT, who also run the health center in Nyabiheke refugee camp, as a volunteer to manage the platform used to record data at the camp-based health center.
Before starting the coding school, the young developer says his family was struggling and could even eat once a day or lacked the means to afford other basic needs.
“Coding has changed my life. I got an occupation, and I can earn some money to support my family,” he says.
In addition to Patrick, Alexis Mbonigaba, another Congolese refugee who was part of the coding school, is utilizing the knowledge he gained to support his family and build a business. Currently, Alexis is busy developing an online-based store where he wants to sell electronic products. He also repairs electronic gadgets, and earns at least Frw 100,000 per month.
“I love technology because it enables me to become self-reliant. It’s something you can do everywhere,” Alexis says. “I want to become one of the best soft developers in the next five years.”
Following their experiences, both Alexis and Patrick are very passionate about deepening their knowledge in programming. Patrick says he is now looking for opportunities to study further how to develop applications for mobile phones.
One of the benefits of the coding school is that it links up graduates with potential jobs. After graduating three out of the ten members of the first cohort have already secured jobs within the technology sector. Trainee developers work with software technicians from K-Lab, Rwanda's technology innovation hub, to design and code applications to solve problems they encounter in their everyday lives.
For Tumusifu Uwineza, another Congolese refugee and coding school graduate, the coding school has meant more than about developing apps.
“Education is so important for us refugees because it keeps us busy and prevents people from temptations that can ruin our future,” Uwineza points out.
For Patrick, Alexis, Tumusifu, as well as the other graduates, it is clear that the coding school has given them an added purpose and direction for the future.
“Even just having a computer lab within the camp has been great. It gives us access to the outside world, the ability to learn and apply for jobs. During the program, I learnt so much. It gave me hope that this wouldn’t be my life forever,” Patrick concludes.