Community Health Care advances refugee well-being in Nyabiheke refugee camp
Community Health Care advances refugee well-being in Nyabiheke refugee camp
Julienne, a Congolese refugee and nurse, attends to Frank who has been admitted to the health centre in Nyabiheke refugee camp with an ear infection. His mother, Patience, explains that the infection has been a recurring problem over the last couple of months but that doctors and nurses at the clinic have always been available to help.
“I brought him in last night as he had a fever. Initially we go to the nurse who takes height, weight and other vital signs, and then we were given an appointment with the doctor. A couple of weeks ago he prescribed some medicine, but it doesn’t seem to have worked, so we are here for another check-up.”
Patience is pictured with her son Frank in the waiting area of the health centre in Nyabiheke refugee camp
In Rwanda, UNHCR runs eight primary health care clinics in refugee camps through a partnership with Save the Children. On average, 26,000 consultations are carried out every month. Patience says that her whole family regular benefits from the medical services available.
Alongside her older siblings, Patience fled her home in Eastern DRC and arrived in Rwanda in 2010. She has lived in Nyabiheke refugee camp ever since; she got married and has had two children over the course of the last 13 years.
“We are 15 people in the family with my siblings and their children. We all live in one shelter. Life is difficult but we try and make do. Sometimes I work on construction sites to make money. Other times I buy bananas from the wholesaler and then sell them in the camp for a small profit.”
Julienne also has a similar story. Like Patience she fled DRC in 2010 with her four children. As a nurse by training, she was eager to continue her profession in Rwanda despite her refugee status. “Back in DRC, I used to work at the hospital in Rwankuba, then when I got married, I moved to working at the nutrition centre,” she explains.
After her husband was killed during fighting nearby their home, Julienne decided to cross the border to Rwanda fearing for her family’s safety. Her four children have since grown up and finished high school in Nyabiheke camp.
Julienne has been a community health volunteer and nurse since fleeing DRC in 2010
Julienne exudes pride as she highlights how her oldest son, now 26, is working as a teacher in a Rwandan school in Gatisibo district – one of the few refugees who has been appointed as a teacher within the national education system on a full salary – and that one of her daughters is working in the ICT sector in Kigali.
“I am a single mother, and we lost everything, but in Rwanda we have slowly been able to build things back from nothing.”
Julienne attributes a lot of her family’s success to having the opportunity to continue working as a nurse at the health centre. “This job protects me. It keeps me busy and helps me overcome mental challenges,” she states.
Despite her success, however, life is not always easy. Julienne express frustration at only being paid
In addition, she has seen first hand the impact of cuts to funding in the health sector.
“We are often overwhelmed. There are so many patients – even Rwandans come to this clinic – but there are not enough doctors and nurses. Because I am from the community, people come to me and complain that they have to wait a long time to see a doctor or can’t get a referral to a hospital for treatment. But often there is little I can do.”
Since mid-2023, UNHCR has had to limit paying the cost of refugee referrals to secondary and tertiary health care due to a lack of funding. Almost $10 million is needed to support the refugee health sector in 2024.
For Julienne and Patience, however, the health clinic in Nyabiheke refugee camp remains a beacon of hope, advancing the well-being and health of the 12,000 plus refugees living in the camp.