Song written by Lewis Bucumi
“Refugees”
I have something in my heart that I am missing.
My friend, are you all right?
Are you still fine?
Although I am a refugee,
it is not I who decided to be one.
Now I sleep in a tent,
yet once I had a beautiful house.
Please God, help Burundians find peace in their land.
Let your holy spirit come and judge people who do the killings.
I am not a street boy, as we Burundians say.
I did not come here because of hunger, as the leaders say.
I left behind plantations ripe for harvest.
I left maize ready but now eaten by bugs.
I abandoned cattle and sheep on the farm.
I left milk in the milk pots.
I left potato and cassava, now consumed by insects.
I left all at home.
I came with nothing.
Now I feed on maize, oil, beans.
At home I ate whatever I wanted.
I am here not because I wanted to come here. No!
I wanted to save my life!
I left the girl I love crying alone on the hills.
I thank Rwanda for welcoming us.
I thought I would never return to school and write.
I thank UNHCR and ADRA for the help they give.
You built a school so we can study as we once did.
We study math, English, French.
Parents, come together! Put our children in school.
In a refugee camp, nothing can be higher priority
than educating our children.
May God bless you.
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The runaway to hope: Bienvenu’s journey to building a fashion brand
28 Apr 2023In a corner of the newly constructed market at Nyabiheke refugee camp in the east part of Rwanda, Bienvenu Nsengimana, a Congolese refugee, runs a store he opened six months ago. The store is filled with all kinds of sneakers and shoes, neatly displayed on shelves. As the 30-year-old refugee […]
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From a refugee camp to a school of excellence: Desange remaking her family’s history through education
14 Apr 2023Desange Umutoni, 19, does not recall much about her life in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), but she does remember the fear and uncertainty that came with being a refugee. Now in senior six of high school, Desange sees education as the means to overcome the stereotype of being […]
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Refugee children learn and grow through playing sports in Mahama camp
6 Apr 2023Daniella doesn’t remember much about her family’s life growing up in Burundi. She only knows that she and her family had to flee their home in 2015 when violence broke out in their country. She was only five years old. Settled in Mahama refugee camp since then, Daniella, now aged […]
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From a Rwandan refugee camp to University of Barcelona: Bienvenu’s story
24 Mar 2023My name is Bienvenu Iradukunda. I am 29 years old. Currently, I am a student pursuing a master’s degree in economics at the University of Barcelona, Spain. I was born into a family of four children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Because of insecurity and the outbreak of […]
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Technology brings higher education opportunities to refugee women in Kiziba camp
14 Mar 2023The journey to getting an education has not been an easier one for Toyota, a 31-year-old Congolese refugee and mother of three, living in Kiziba refugee camp. As a child she spent her formative years in a small, peaceful village in North Kivu but where education opportunities were limited especially […]
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Refugee women take the lead in spearheading digital services
8 Mar 2023Every Thursady, Lydie Gakunzi, a Burundian refugee woman, is busy at Gikondo Community Centre assisting fellow refugees submitting applications online for the Economic mobility pathways project, a programme meant to help skilled refugees immigrate to Canada. Lydie, a graduate in communication, has always been doing so over the past two […]
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Humanitarian needs surge as Congolese cross to Rwanda seeking safety
6 Mar 2023Following the increased fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), thousands of Congolese nationals have been forced to flee their homes. Hundreds of them continue to arrive in Rwanda every week seeking safety. Aline and her son Albert, 2, had no other option but to escape to Rwanda […]
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As security worsens in DR Congo, UNHCR and partners seek US$605 million to assist Congolese refugees across Africa
17 Feb 2023This is a summary of what was said by Olga Sarrado Mur – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
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WFP increases food assistance for refugees in Rwanda
15 Feb 2023Kigali: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has increased food assistance for refugees in all five camps across Rwanda by 43 percent to help them meet their basic needs following the increase in food and energy prices globally. From February 2023, refugees classified as highly vulnerable, will receive RWF […]
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European Union increases support to people in need of international protection with additional grant of €22 million to UNHCR to operate the Emergency Transit Mechanism in Rwanda until 2026.
9 Feb 2023Kigali, Rwanda – 9 February 2023 – The European Union has announced a €22 million support package to the Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM) in Rwanda operated by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the Government of Rwanda. The ETM provides a life-saving channel to evacuate refugees and asylum seekers in […]