By Mukarabe Makinto
And now I am learning that there is a school in Nakivale Refugee Camp which is wrestling with the same issues of how to offer an normal life (in this context) to these young refugees. My guilt is that I didn't have time while I was in Nakivale to listen to their plights; to hear their hopes or the lack of it. What could I have done differently had I found myself in this classroom?
Now, here we have in front of us an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of young refugees in the Nakivale Refugee Camp. John, the courageous man behind the effort, is one of the leaders in the Burundian diaspora I have been interacting with on social media and over the phone.
He probably doesn't know that I was at the Nakivale Camp only six months ago. He is a person I have come to respect due to his leadership and commitment to harness resources to end the chaos in Burundi. He is, along with most of us who are sons and daughters of Africa, trying to engage our local governments and communities to wrestle with tough issues like immigration and refugees with humanity at heart; avoiding the tendency of adopting a one-size-fits-all mentality. IN OTHER WORDS, NOT ALL REFUGEES ARE CRIMINALS. AND NOT ALL REFUGEES ARE SYRIANS.
The students, like the group of my family refugees in Bombo, are refugees whose needs should be considered. Okay, we get it, there is no oil nor are there diamonds in Burundi, but these refugees should be accorded the same consideration as any refugee, no matter the country of origin.
My friend John is trying to raise some level of awareness to the situation that the 280,000 or more recent refugees from Burundi are faced with, and the lack of intervention from international communities. These young people in Nakivale are simply hoping for a kind of normalcy in their lives and we can help them.
Please visit https://www.tilt.com/tilts/burundian-refugees-in-uganda-school-fees
to learn more and/or support John.
Please come on board to support these young students in Nakivale. If you need to hear more specifics on how you can be involved, feel free to reach out to me and please join us as we advocate for this forgotten class of refugees.
Thank you.