Refugees train to be chefs
Refugees train to be chefs
In the middle of a busy kitchen, Floribert adds the finishing touches to the chicken thigh stuffed with creamy chickpeas and spinach. He is one of the current cohort of six refugee students who are training to be chefs at Nyruah restaurant in Kigali. At 38 years old, Floribert finally feels he has a chance to succeed.
After fleeing his home in Burundi in 2015, Floribert has lived in Mahama refugee camp for the past seven years. Although he graduated from school aged 28, securing a diploma in primary school teaching, he explains that finding a job was difficult and made all the more difficult with the insecurity that ensued.
Originally from the South of Burundi, Floribert was living in the capital Bujumbura searching for work when he decided to flee. “It just wasn’t safe for me anymore. I left by myself and came to Mahama camp. I didn’t have any family with me, and I didn’t know many people in the camp. I had to start from scratch.”
Having to rebuild his life from the ground up, however, gave Floribert a new opportunity to pursue his interest in cooking. While living in Mahama camp, he attended vocational training course and later worked in a guest house nearby the camp in Kirehe which confirmed his passion for becoming a chef.
Although Floribert explains that he didn’t have much experience in cooking, let alone being a chef, at the start, his friends encouraged him as he started to develop his skills. “They say my food is tasty. It encourages me and makes me want to learn more dishes.”
Now, as part of the six-week internship at Nyruah, Floribert has the chance to refine his skills further, learning from professional chefs in the areas of pastry, meat and vegetables.
“Since I acquired experience in preparing vegetables and meat, I now want to focus on preparing food made of what flour such as pizza, bread and mandazi.”
The partnership between Vatel and UNHCR aims to build refugee self-reliance. During the six-week training program which is held in Kigali, the two organizations provide accommodation for the students to enable them to focus on their studies under the close instruction of Rwandan chefs.
Prior to Floribert’s cohort, 10 other refugee students have graduated from the program and have gone on to work in restaurants across Rwanda.
Finding a job after finishing the internship is the main motivation for most of the students.
Olivier, a Conoglese refugee also taking part in the internship states that the skills they are currently learning will stand them in good stead for their future career.
“I am very grateful because through this internship we learn from world-renowned practitioners. We gain skills that are at the international level. With the skills I gain here, I am confident that I can prepare food for people from different backgrounds and meet their tastes. My goal would be to set up my own restaurant and work on my own and provide jobs to other people. Self-employment makes you more independent.”
Floribert also hopes to find a job after graduation to earn an income and gradually build up enough savings to open his own restaurant. “I will take a job anywhere, I will go anywhere where I can earn some money. I just want to build a future for myself.”