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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UNHCR welcomes renewed funding from Germany to support refugees in Rwanda
13 Dec 2022Kigali, 13 December 2022 – The Government of Federal Republic of Germany has announced a grant amounting to USD 940,000 to UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, to boost the refugee response in Rwanda. Mrs. Aissatou Ndiaye, the UNHCR Representative to Rwanda, applauded the government of Germany for its continued support […]
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Community-based health insurance gives urban refugees and students in boarding schools in Rwanda a sigh of relief
12 Dec 2022When Betty and her family arrived in Rwanda in 2001 after fleeing war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), they were relieved when they finally found safety. But without easy access to essential services such as health care, life was far from ideal. Having left everything behind, Betty, her […]
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Refugees train to be chefs
30 Nov 2022A partnership between UNHCR and Vatel Hospitality and Catering is providing a six-week internship in catering and hospitality in Kigali
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Refugee women in Rwanda take action to combat Gender Based Violence
25 Nov 2022“Talking and sharing our own personal stories helps build a community that can talk about gender-based violence and ultimately ensure its prevention.” This is the motto of the Ndumwigeme committee in Mahama refugee camp. A women’s committee set up by Ange Niyonkuru, a Burundian refugee who fled her home in […]
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More Burundian refugees in Rwanda return home
24 Nov 2022As of October 2022, UNHCR has facilitated the voluntary repatriation of 30,317 Burundian refugees from Rwanda since August 2020. They ask for continued assistance to rebuild their lives back home.
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Refugee Youth share their vision for a more connected world
18 Nov 2022Growing up as a refugee is difficult. Being forced to flee and leave your home behind has a wide-ranging impact on refugee youth’s mental health, education, social circles, aspirations and dreams. Around 22% of refugees in Rwanda are youth between the ages of 15-24. UNHCR is committed to protecting refugee […]
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In Search of an Identity
16 Nov 2022Congolese refugee receives ID card as part of Rwandan Government’s commitment to issue refugee IDs to all refugees in Rwanda.
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Spiraling food inflation in Rwanda calls for increased support for refugees
12 Nov 2022Building shock responsive assistance for refugees in Rwanda: a tale of inflation and chronic vulnerabilities
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Refugees in Rwanda coding for a brighter future
9 Nov 2022When Patrick Birori fled from the South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo to Rwanda in 2007, he had completely lost hope for the future. 15 years later, he’s striving to become one of the best programmers and help his community get IT-enabled solutions. “When the war erupted […]
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After heartbreak, comes life
3 Nov 2022Burundian refugees in Rwanda obtain a birth certificate for their son through the National Centralized and Integrated Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System.