Dreaming Bigger: Young Congolese refugee athlete hopes to compete in the World Taekwondo Championships.

When refugees flee their homes, they keep thinking about when they will go back. Sometimes their situation becomes protracted and feels forgotten.

A new generation of refugees is then born in the camp.

Mbabazi – 17 years old – is one of the refugee children who are born in Kiziba refugee camp. She doesn’t know any other place to call home apart from Kiziba, the oldest refugee camp in Rwanda established in 1996.

In 2018, Mbabazi was selected to represent Kiziba refugee camp to compete in the 2018 Taekwondo regional tournament in Kigali, Rwanda. Athletes from all around Africa joined up for the competition, and Mbabazi Lady was excited about it.

“I was not scared to take on the region's champions. Even though Taekwondo is said to be just for boys, I was determined to do my best at the competition,” added Mbabazi.

Alone, the young refugee athlete stood still on Kigali's Petit Stade against opponents from Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Rwanda, demonstrating that she is an inspiration and source of hope for refugee girls in Rwanda.

Mbabazi said that even if the competition was tight, she was not disheartened, but rather motivated and encouraged.

“I persisted practicing despite all the criticism from my classmates, who told me that those games were just for boys,” she said. “I focused on my dream. I turned a deaf ear to negative remarks.”

Mbabazi was one of only four women competing in the first round of the African Cup of Nations. She came in third place, with Rwanda coming in second, and all were awarded medals. Mbabazi saw it as the start of a victorious journey to the World Taekwondo Championships, and she hoped that one day she would win many more medals.

“Winning the medal was the result of hard work, dedication, and a desire to do better,” she said.

Taekwondo: a sport for hope for refugee children.

 Like Mbabazi, refugee children at Kiziba camp, have demonstrated interest and faith in Taekwondo for many years.

Mbabazi believes that participating in Taekwondo games has really helped her make new friends both in and out of Rwanda. “Taekwondo has kept her from being bored, which might have led to my involvement in drugs or unplanned pregnancies,” she said.

“This game instills discipline and strengthens relationships with friends. We’ve made one Taekwondo family.”

Mbabazi hopes to be a national and global champion in Taekwondo and believes that one day all of the world's televisions will showcase her efforts towards success.

Edited by Eugene Sibomana in Kigali, Rwanda