• Text size Normal size text | Increase text size by 10% | Increase text size by 20% | Increase text size by 30%
  • Also available in French

GNA Rwanda: Q&A with Jerusalem Eyob, UNHCR field officer, Kigali

Global Needs Assessment, 9 October 2008

Can you briefly describe your working life here in Rwanda?

I am a Field Officer, based in Kigali, responsible for the two camps which hold the majority of the Congolese refugees in Rwanda, Gihembe and Nyabiheke. Refugees in both these camps are mainly from the North and South Kivu region of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC. They fled to Rwanda because of personal persecution, as well as the instability and insecurity that have gripped the DRC for more than a decade.

My job includes ensuring that refugees receive their food and non-food assistance, monitoring camp-based activities, following up with relevant authorities on vulnerable protection cases, making certain that allocated funds are well spent, and ensuring that the needs of the refugees are met to the best extent possible.

In addition, I monitor the implementation of activities to identify gaps and ensure corrective measures are taken to rectify any difficulties. I provide guidance and assistance to implementing partners and colleagues under my supervision.

Staffing and resource constraints affecting the UNHCR-Rwanda operation limit the extent to which adequate protection and programme assistance is provided to the more than 27,000 refugees in Gihembe and Nyabiheke Camps.

What are the main things that strike you about the state of refugees here?

The key thing that strikes me is the difficult conditions in which refugees live. Camp conditions are less than ideal, with people making do with overcrowded, makeshift shelters.

Inactivity of men and youth is also of concern, as it is not easy to motivate them to work that may be unpaid but will benefit their population. Limited access to secondary and tertiary education or income generating activities possibilities also poses a problem, in addition to early marriages, sexual exploitation and domestic violence.

Girls have a tendency to drop out of school, especially after the primary grades, and instead start to work in order to help their families increase their household incomes. Unfortunately, because of this, many of them become victims of abuse and exploitation.

What do they tell you about their problems?

There are several things they voice, one of them being the concern that the 2,100-calories-per-person-per-day food ration that refugees receive from the World Food Programme is insufficient, and does not meet their dietary needs. Many refugees sell a portion of their rations to buy other necessities such as clothes, shoes and firewood.

The absence of national identity cards is another concern amongst the refugee population, as well as the non-existence of legal documents – such as birth, death and marriage certificates – for some individuals. However, to tackle this problem, ID cards will be distributed following the completion of a registration exercise in all camps.

What difference do you think the extra funding from the GNA would make?

Extra funding from the GNA would address gaps in providing basic needs. In Nyabiheke Camp, GNA funds could facilitate access to education programmes for the newly transferred refugee children. More school facilities can be established and teachers recruited, and the Field Office would be in a better position to tackle other pressing issues, such as the problem of drainage surrounding the schools.

During the GNA pilot exercise, emphasis was placed on an important gap: legal assistance to refugees and to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. GNA funds would not only be useful for this, but it would enhance the capacity of our government partner, Conseil national pour les réfugiés (CNR), to undertake the refugee status determination process and clear the pending cases backlog.

• DONATE NOW • • GET INVOLVED • • STAY INFORMED •

 

Related Stories

more documents

UNHCR country pages