“My Lifelong Dream and Learning Experience of a Lifetime,” Lula.

When her home was devastated during the Eritrean-Ethiopian War, Lula Tensaew was just two years old. Her family had to leave their homeland to save their lives. After many years, Lula decided to pursue her lifelong dream of lending a helping hand to the refugee community. Interpreter at the Emergency Transit Mechanism set up in Gashora, Rwanda, to host vulnerable refugees evacuated from Libya, her story reveals bravery, a determination to give back, and a desire to help.

Meet ONE of our everyday heroes at UNHCR:

- A Refugee -

My name is Tensaew Lula. I was born in Eritrea, my family scraped into Sudan after our homes were devastated during the Eritrean Ethiopian War, where we spent a few years in a refugee camp before moving to the U.S.

- A Volunteer -

I arrived in Rwanda as an International United Nations Volunteer (IUNV) two weeks before the coronavirus lockdown. While I was hired as an interpreter, I am very happy with additional roles allocated to me, including community service, to the delivery of Non-Food Items, as well as working with female Persons of Concern (POCs) for guidance and exchange of knowledge through a WhatsApp Group.

- An Interpreter -

I speak multiple languages that are spoken in multiple communities in the Center. This helps me to listen and express the needs of the POCs adhering to the UNHCR Age, Gender, and Diversity (AGD) Approach.

As Nelson Mandela said:

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.”

My ability to communicate in multiple languages of the POC’s builds bonds with the community, especially women and girls, facilitates UNHCR’s protection interventions at the Center, and resolves many issues including conflicts within the community. The POC’s also have shown trust and share their concerns with someone they can trust. This also helps our protection team to do their work with a better understanding.

- A Career and a Calling at UNHCR -

Right now, I am where I need to be, not only working for the UN Refugee Agency was my lifelong dream, it has also become a learning experience of a lifetime.

To serve as a UN Volunteer in a refugee camp like ETM, with those refugees and asylum seekers, is a rewarding experience I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

If given the chance I will continue to work in the same field.

Today, refugees and asylum seekers have effective and efficient access to protection services provided by the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, and partners at Gashora Transit Center, thanks to Switzerland's support for interpreters in ETM Rwanda.