Children at the refugee camp running alongside our van.
Refugee camp On the morning of the 24th, we woke early and traveled and hour and a half from our motel on Lake Muhaze to a refugee camp. Unfortunately, Allison had gotten sick that morning and was unable to go.
Our purpose was to provide training and deliver supplies to the refugee camp. It didn’t go quite as expected, but it was still impactful.
The refugee camp consisted of men, women and children who had come from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a dangerous country torn apart by war. There were approximately 10,000 people in the camp, roughly half consisting of children. Many of the refugees were educated people such as teachers, doctors, and businessmen who were violently pushed from their homeland. In their former lives they had homes, land, peace and means. Now this was their reality. From a teacher with a home and a purpose to a refugee living in squalor.
The camp consisted of small, tightly packed shacks built from mud, sticks and scrap material. No electricity and no running water. Children that should have been wearing diapers ran around naked, because without the availability of diapers, their being naked was the next best option. The ever-wonderful resilience of children shone through. They ran beside our vehicle and waved and smiled, and played in the dirt or with sticks.
The camp reminded me of many of the poorer neighborhoods in Iraq I used to patrol.
We arrived and were welcomed by a committee selected from among the leaders of the people living at the refugee camp. Betty and Joey then trained the adults on coping with trauma. Malcolm, Dan, and Robyn went with the children to the side of a hill under the shade of tall trees, where they handed out crayons and construction paper. The children sat quietly and began coloring pictures. Many drew different versions of the same things, such as their homes in the Congo, pictures of their family, and helicopters. They were eager to show off their drawings to us.
I went with the medical staff to arrange our leaving several bags of medical supplies and feminine products at the camp. This turned out to be a frustrating, bureaucratic process. We had unknowingly not brought the appropriate paperwork. We were supposed to have an inventory of the things we brought, approved beforehand. We did not, so the camp manager refused to allow us to leave the supplies.
One particularly depressing aspect of this was that we had brought soccer balls for the kids, and Malcolm and Dan were inflating them so the children could play with them. The children were so excited! But we then got word that none of the things we brought would be left at the camp, not even the soccer balls. So we gathered up all of the supplies, put them back in the bags, and carried them through an ever-growing and frustrated crowd of people.
Betty and Joey had finished their training. To end our visit, we had a solemn ceremony in which Ben, the Rwandan Director of ALARM, told the group that we could not leave the supplies. They were noticeable upset. We stayed for a few minutes more and purchased some things that people from the camp had made. I bought a basket woven from hay. Then we got in the van and left.
We were all thankful for the training Betty and Joey did with these severely traumatized people. Women had lost their husbands and children. Many had undergone unthinkable atrocities, and dealing with traumatized people is one of Betty’s specialties. We were also thankful for the time we spent with the children, giving them a chance to color.
But we were very disappointed that the things we brought were not left behind. As I had gone through the medical supplies with the staff (prior to learning we wouldn’t be allowed to leave them) they were so happy. We were bringing them things they desperately needed. Many of the women had seen the feminine products we had brought, and they were begging me for them. And the kids so wanted those soccer balls.
I left angry. But we were comforted by the people from ALARM who assured us they would get the supplies approved and back to the camp.
On the way back from the camp we picked up Allison and stopped at the Eastland Motel Kayonza and ate lunch. I had a hamburger and French fries and my first beer in Rwanda, a Mutzig lager. It cheered me up a little.
I left the hay basked in the van while we ate. I got back to the van after lunch and opened it, and cockroaches ran out of it all over the van. I guess the little rascals had been hiding in the lid of the basket. I gladly let them flee.
Another surreal day in Rwanda.
Our purpose was to provide training and deliver supplies to the refugee camp. It didn’t go quite as expected, but it was still impactful.
The refugee camp consisted of men, women and children who had come from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a dangerous country torn apart by war. There were approximately 10,000 people in the camp, roughly half consisting of children. Many of the refugees were educated people such as teachers, doctors, and businessmen who were violently pushed from their homeland. In their former lives they had homes, land, peace and means. Now this was their reality. From a teacher with a home and a purpose to a refugee living in squalor.
The camp consisted of small, tightly packed shacks built from mud, sticks and scrap material. No electricity and no running water. Children that should have been wearing diapers ran around naked, because without the availability of diapers, their being naked was the next best option. The ever-wonderful resilience of children shone through. They ran beside our vehicle and waved and smiled, and played in the dirt or with sticks.
The camp reminded me of many of the poorer neighborhoods in Iraq I used to patrol.
We arrived and were welcomed by a committee selected from among the leaders of the people living at the refugee camp. Betty and Joey then trained the adults on coping with trauma. Malcolm, Dan, and Robyn went with the children to the side of a hill under the shade of tall trees, where they handed out crayons and construction paper. The children sat quietly and began coloring pictures. Many drew different versions of the same things, such as their homes in the Congo, pictures of their family, and helicopters. They were eager to show off their drawings to us.
I went with the medical staff to arrange our leaving several bags of medical supplies and feminine products at the camp. This turned out to be a frustrating, bureaucratic process. We had unknowingly not brought the appropriate paperwork. We were supposed to have an inventory of the things we brought, approved beforehand. We did not, so the camp manager refused to allow us to leave the supplies.
One particularly depressing aspect of this was that we had brought soccer balls for the kids, and Malcolm and Dan were inflating them so the children could play with them. The children were so excited! But we then got word that none of the things we brought would be left at the camp, not even the soccer balls. So we gathered up all of the supplies, put them back in the bags, and carried them through an ever-growing and frustrated crowd of people.
Betty and Joey had finished their training. To end our visit, we had a solemn ceremony in which Ben, the Rwandan Director of ALARM, told the group that we could not leave the supplies. They were noticeable upset. We stayed for a few minutes more and purchased some things that people from the camp had made. I bought a basket woven from hay. Then we got in the van and left.
We were all thankful for the training Betty and Joey did with these severely traumatized people. Women had lost their husbands and children. Many had undergone unthinkable atrocities, and dealing with traumatized people is one of Betty’s specialties. We were also thankful for the time we spent with the children, giving them a chance to color.
But we were very disappointed that the things we brought were not left behind. As I had gone through the medical supplies with the staff (prior to learning we wouldn’t be allowed to leave them) they were so happy. We were bringing them things they desperately needed. Many of the women had seen the feminine products we had brought, and they were begging me for them. And the kids so wanted those soccer balls.
I left angry. But we were comforted by the people from ALARM who assured us they would get the supplies approved and back to the camp.
On the way back from the camp we picked up Allison and stopped at the Eastland Motel Kayonza and ate lunch. I had a hamburger and French fries and my first beer in Rwanda, a Mutzig lager. It cheered me up a little.
I left the hay basked in the van while we ate. I got back to the van after lunch and opened it, and cockroaches ran out of it all over the van. I guess the little rascals had been hiding in the lid of the basket. I gladly let them flee.
Another surreal day in Rwanda.
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