After heartbreak, comes life
After heartbreak, comes life
Eustache and Suavis fled their home in Burundi after instability erupted in 2015. At the time they were acquaintances who knew each other because their families both originally came from Gitega, but once Eustache arrived in Rwanda, they married with the aim of starting a family.
Although Suavis had fled in 2015 with her brother and sister-in-law, her partner Eustache, only joined her in 2019. In Rwanda, they rented a house in the Gikondo district of Kigali and got to know their neighbors, many of them also Burundian refugees making up the almost 10,000 urban refugees living in Rwanda’s capital.
In 2020, both Eustache and Suavis received their refugee ID cards issued by the Government of Rwanda enabling them to access services such as health and banks just as any citizen can. Enrollment in the Community Based Health Insurance (CBHI) scheme, whereby UNHCR pays 90% and they contribute 10% of the fees, also had an added benefit as they planned to start a family and could subsequently easily access health clinics and hospitals near their home.
Heartbreak struck though as their first-born child passed away only a few months old due to a heart defect. Miscarriages followed and Suavis lost hope that their dream of having a child would come true.
In September 2022, however their son Alfie was born. Delivered in one of the main hospitals in Kacyiru, Kigali, Eustache explains that the process was very straight forward due to their enrollment in CBHI.
Hospital staff registered Alfie’s birth prompting a SMS to be sent to Eustache with an identity number which meant that he could log-in to the Rwandan online government services portal -Irembo and download his birth certificate once back home.
“I was surprised at how easy it was. We didn’t have to do anything. Even though we are refugees, we were treated like any other Rwandan family having a baby,” comments Eustache.
Back home, with birth certificate in hand, Suavis and Eustache are now optimistic about the future for both Alfie and themselves.
After the loss of their first-born, the business which they had jointly builttrading clothes and shoes, collapsed. But now they hope to start it up again if they find an injection of capital to purchase the raw materials. For the time being, however, they rely on a small income they receive from the rental of a house Eustache co-owns back in Burundi. “It is not enough. Especially with a new baby. There are so many things we haven’t been able to buy for him.”
Instead, Suavis and Eustache have been dependent on friends and neighbors, many of them fellow Burundian refugees who they have met through the nearby Gikondo community center run by UNHCR with support from donors including the United States. Since Alfie has been born, they also met with UNHCR staff at the center to register him as a refugee on their UNHCR file. Eustache explains that this was one of the first times they got to use Alfie’s new birth certificate to prove his identity.
At one-month old, all their focus is currently directed towards ensuring that Alfie stays happy and healthy. Suavis explains that he has been an easy baby so far but like any new parents “we are exhausted”. They feel lucky that the birth registration process has been so easy and Eustache says “I know it is not as easy for other Burundian refugees in other countries neighboring Rwanda.”
After everything they have been through, they just pray for a better future.
Overall Eustache remains thankful about the support they have received. “Birth registration is essential. Without the birth certificate we wouldn’t be able to access any other services for our child. Wherever you go, you have to provide the certificate. We know Alfie can now enjoy his life and future because of this.”