Rwandan school welcomes Congolese refugee children with intellectual disabilities

Twenty one Congolese refugees children living in both Kigeme and Mugombwa refugee camps are grateful to finally be attending school at a local semi-boarding school, called Amizero y’Ubuzima (Hope for Life).

Most of these refugee children have never attended school before and have rarely left their homes for fear of not fitting in. They now get to join other students, carrying their school bags and wearing clean uniforms, at a local school for Rwandan children located in the southern province of Rwanda, close to the refugee camps.

“Look at me! I have new shoes, and look at my clothes!” beamed Kevin as he gets ready to attend school for the first time.  An eight-year-old refugee boy with intellectual disabilities, Kevin would often wander around the disability center in Kigeme alone, with nothing to occupy his time. Now he is excited to be attending school with other children.

Joining in on the excitement, refugee parents are also thrilled for the extra attention their children will receive to improve their social integration. Eline and Esperance are parents living in Kigeme and Mugombwa camps, who both have little boys attending Amaziro y’Ubuzima school. These parents believe this is a great opportunity to remind the community how valuable their children are, and to show just how proud they are of them.

“In the camp, our children were often frustrated that they could not play with other children. Some made fun of them and others even physically bullied them!” recalls Eline. Now, Eline and Esperance feel confident accompanying their boys to the new school. After exploring the school, Esperance has even committed herself to advocate for other children living with intellectual disabilities in her community, Mugombwa refugee camp.

This is the first time the school has accepted refugee children into their program. Charles Utazirubanda, the director of Amizero y’Ubuzima, says that the program will help the refugee students with their specific conditions, and expects improvements.

“I am happy to see this project become a reality. These refugee children are our children, and we need to take care of them just the same,” says Charles.

On the first day of school, the Rwandan students welcomed Kevin and the other refugee children through traditional song and dance. It didn’t take for the refugee students to join in, and feel like they finally belong.

This project is funded by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), in close collaboration with Handicap International, to give children with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to attend educational programs tailored to their needs.

Kigeme refugee camp, now home to over 19,800 refugees, was opened in mid-2012 after a sudden influx of over 35,000 refugees from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), fleeing fighting between Government forces (FARDC) and rebel militias.

Mugombwa refugee camp, also in the Southern Province, was established in early 2014 to host the remaining Congolese refugees from overcrowded transit centres. Today, the camp is home to nearly 9,000 refugees.

Claudine Mukagatare contributed reporting from Kigeme and Mugombwa refugee camps - Southern Province, Rwanda