Hollywood Actress Kristin Davis visits Refugees hosted in Rwanda

Kristin Davis, UNHCR High Profile Supporter, philanthropist and Hollywood actress best known for Golden Globe winning series “Sex and the City” is on an official mission in Rwanda with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Ms. Davis is visiting Rwanda in order to better understand UNHCR's operation to ensure protection and assistance for the over 165,000 refugees living here. "We are thrilled to host Kristin Davis in Rwanda so she can meet refugees and help bring their stories to a global audience," said Saber Azam, Representative of UNHCR in Rwanda.

During her visit Ms. Davis met with Congolese and Burundian refugees living in camps and also a group of urban refugees who work as community organizers in Kigali. Supporting UNHCR's efforts to mobilize resources for its refugee programmes, Ms. Davis is filming in both Gihembe and Mahama camps to showcase the work of UNHCR and to highlight both the tremendous needs, but also the remarkable resilience, of refugees. Ms. Davis said “I am amazed and inspired by the kindness of the Rwandan people – their deep understanding and empathy for the Burundian and Congolese refugees and welcoming them into their own communities and integrating refugees into national systems like education."

An active philanthropist, Kristin has highlighted the work of UNHCR in extensive media interviews and writing of features and opinion pieces and has helped shine a spotlight on the global refugee crisis. UNHCR, which co-leads the interagency response for refugees in Rwanda with MIDIMAR, has the responsibility to ensure protection of refugees and to find durable solutions for refugee situations. To that end UNHCR is working to advocate with partners such as the One UN to ensure socio-economic inclusion of Congolese refugees - who have lived in Rwanda for 20 years - in development programs.

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Kristin Davis meets with Community leaders who gather to share their stories about working with urban refugees in Kigali. 30,000 Refugees now live in the city made up of Burundian and Congolese. One community leader, John told us ‘all of us have the same problem, Burundian and Congolese, but we are all refugees, and we must all work together’.

© UNHCR/Jordi Matas

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Kristin Davis in Mahama refugee camp. UNHCR provides shelter for Burundian refugees in Mahama camp – building new semi permanent shelters. There are over 50,054 refugees in Mahama camp, most of whom have been there since April 2015. With no signs of them being able to return UNHCR have started to build semi permanent structures with brick and corrugated roofs to give people more protection from the weather and also SGBV.

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Kristin Davis visits Gihembe refugee camp. There are over 12,995 refugees in Gihembe camp of whom 97% are Congolese. Most of the people here have been refugees for 20 years and are survivors of the Mudende camp massacre.

Mukamana and her family Gentille (24), baby Charlotte (1), Solange (19), Florence (13, yellow trousers) and Faustin (11) live in Gihembe refugee camp. Mukamana and her family are waiting for the date to be resettled to the USA. She has lived in the camp for 20 years and told us that she is both excited and encouraged to go to a place where her 4 children will have a future. There are over 12,995 refugees in Gihembe camp of whom 97% are Congolese. Most of the people here have been refugees for 20 years and are survivors of the Mudende camp massacre.

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Kristin Davis, UNHCR Representative in Rwanda Saber Azam and Director of Refugee Affairs in the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs Jean-Claude Rwahama at a press conference in Gihembe refugee camp. There are over 12,995 refugees in Gihembe camp of whom 97% are Congolese. Most of the people here have been refugees for 20 years and are survivors of the Mudende camp massacre.

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Kristin Davis, UNHCR Representative in Rwanda Saber Azam with Children from Gihembe refugee camp. All these kids were born in this camp.