by Wes Wrightson

17 July 2008

Cyangugu, Rwanda: There's a saying in sub-Saharan Africa that goes, "We should live for today because tomorrow we could all be refugees." This adage is found in places as far away from each other as Zimbabwe and Sudan or Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Though often it is not, a tremendous amount of respect and tolerance should be afforded to refugees for fleeing their homes due to war, socio-political persecution, natural disasters or economic despair.  

Refugees often do not willingly choose to leave their lives behind and circumstance plays a large role in their flight. It's the primary mission of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to assist host-country governments in every possible way in order to help defend the rights of these vulnerable people. Most often, it is not a refugee’s choice to end up living wholly dependent on external assistance.

Coming from a task in Senegal, where I was implementing food security mechanisms for Africare, I had no idea what to expect when I took up the post of UNV Field Officer. When I arrived at my current duty station in the Rusizi district of Rwanda, I was faced with the task of maintaining UNHCR's Cyangugu Antenna Office, as well as managing the transit centre for refugees.  Needless to say, this was not an easy task.

The result of intra- and inter-state fighting has been the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Congolese, who cross into Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda. At the Cyangugu and Nyagatare transit centres we manage the registration and transfer of these refugees as the need arises. The transit centres are also operational for the reception of Rwandese returnees who come home after seeking refuge in neighbouring countries following the 1959 and 1994 conflicts.

As many refugees and asylum seekers can attest, "You never know what you will face tomorrow." This was a reminder to me that I needed to learn now, on the run, and to accept that every day is a learning process. What came naturally to me in my role was empathy, and my understanding that everyone in their own right has a story to tell. Thus began the lengthy process of interviewing all the heads of families to register them at the transit centre, and also to fully understand the underlying reasons for their flight to Rwanda.

Almost all of the refugees coming through the border to Cyangugu are from Eastern DRC, a region that continues to be riddled with strife. Sadly, for the time being, it appears there is no end in sight for the violence that is sweeping across the Kivu region of DRC like wildfire. That means our work at UNHCR will continue as hundreds of people continue to cross over the border into Rwanda seeking refuge.

Leaving behind their subsistence livelihoods in Eastern DRC for a more secure life in Rwanda, refugees are now faced with building a new life under UNHCR plastic sheeting. At the Nyagatare transit centre, people live in houses covered with plastic sheeting and large hangars that consist of 16 rooms. Due to the lack of land available to construct a new camp, the refugees have to live in conditions where daily life is a struggle as weather conditions fluctuate, food rations and other supplies are meticulously meted out, and life remains uncertain.

As a UNV volunteer, to handle and facilitate these daily tasks, as well as act as the head of office managing national staff is sometimes overwhelming. To ease this difficulty, however, one of the first initiatives implemented was the design and creation of refugee committees and sub-committees, where people act as representatives on behalf of their fellow refugees.

These groups are positive additions to the transit centre since elected members of the committees, along with UNHCR staff, hold daily meetings in order to better understand what problems are being faced in the camp and what needs to be prioritized in the upcoming weeks and months.

Difficulties at the transit centre are many, but if – as a team – we can delegate responsibilities and coordinate in an orderly fashion, life improves for the refugees. The key is to include them in the development process and cycle, which is empowering and helps them to take responsibility for their destiny instead of continually relying on the security blanket they have come to know.

Throughout my time as a UNV volunteer, I have been in constant contact with the UNHCR Branch Office in Kigali in order to report on transit centre activities, compile statistics, coordinate mission visits and follow up on documentation. The branch office relies on our performance at the antenna office in Cyangugu to maintain the transit centre as per UNHCR Geneva standards.

It is through my liaising on a daily basis with the UNV External Relations and Reporting Officer JoAnna Pollonais that we (as cogs in the UNHCR Rwanda wheel) are able to make a difference to those refugees who count on us to deliver our services. In effect, JoAnna also serves as my sounding board for the variety of obstacles and challenges faced while managing a centre that a large number of refugees call 'home'.