Women to Women Group: Smear Campaign

                                                                                                                                             19/9/13

Two years ago Christine Adoch was struggling to find ways to help her community improve their livelihoods in Kyangwali. Since 2002 when Christine first arrived in the settlement camp, she has witnessed diseases which have ran rampant due to lack of hygiene and malpractices that tend to plague refugees when they settle in camp. Unfortunately because of the lack of education that many refugees have on hygienic practices, many of these problems persist even after they have been living in the camp for years. Even with all the programs that AAH has helped implement about the safe practices of water, sanitation, and hygiene, there are always some areas which AAH does not have enough people to help cover the issues and prevent disease.

Christine (far right) and her group
(minus two members)

The Women to Women Group, and similar ones like it, were established by AAH in 2010 to alleviate the lack of coverage to help educate people on these practices. The Idea was to have the refugees help educate other refugees; having a system like this one would increase the chances of educating the communities. If those refugees that they knew and lived with were the ones teaching the practices instead of the organizations, there would be a greater chance the refugees would be willing to learn because they would be more comfortable with someone who is in their exact situation. Also being close and interacting every day with those who they teach helps to monitor and control the progress of the hygiene practices AAH tries to implement.

Jiggers attacking feet

Two years ago when the Women to Women group was blooming, Christine was selected by her community and AAH to become the first Community Promoter in her area. Her job, along with the other twelve women (who were also selected by the community and AAH this year at the end of May) in this area’s group, help to teach their surrounding communal blocks the hygienic practices of smearing a house to prevent Jiggers (which are caused by dust). Jiggers are tiny flies that dig into skin (usually feet) and feed off of blood, they are commonly found around animals in areas of filth, usually pigs. Sever cases of jiggers can leave people unable to walk until the flies are removed by tweezers or being soaked and killed off in hydrogen peroxide. Though there are few cases that rarely get to that stage, even one jigger in your foot can cause a restless night sleep.

The process of smearing a house is a simple one that involves taking a mud and animal feces mixture to create a substance which holds moisture. This mixture is then smeared in the house to decreases dust in the household. To effectively decrease dust, the floor and the walls of the house must be smeared at least once a month, especially during the dry season. This process along with building a home with a base made of this mixture will drastically help prevent jiggers from hindering one’s life and their sleep.

Smearing a floor

 Christine and her group were first trained by AAH on this process of smearing homes before they were able to go out and educate others. Though the education and the process of smearing is easy, the difficulty in their job is making sure everyone in the communities continues to smear after they teach them. The way they educate their fellow refugees on this process is through demonstrations. Each month Christine and her group goes to a different block and helps smear four to five houses out of the twenty or so in the block in order to help teach the people in this community. This literal “Smear Campaign” is designed so the women can plan and promote the benefits of smearing in all of their surrounding communal blocks all year round. This type of campaign has already proven to be the most proficient in getting the word out and helping to preventing jiggers.

Ever since 2009 when this group of twelve women who arrived together by convoy with their families to come to Kyangwali, (aside from Christine) have already had their own experience with jiggers and other sanitary diseases, parasites’, and pests. Like the refugees they are helping to educate now, they too were ignorant of the practices to help prevent many of these sanitation issues, and many of them, if not all, have had complications with jiggers. In the Democratic Republic of Congo it is not uncommon to live with animals in the house, in fact it is a part of their culture to do so. However living with animals only raises the chance of having jiggers or other diseases in the house.  Ever since they had become apart of this group and learned these prevention methods, none of these ladies or their families have had any further problems with jiggers. Their success stories and their demonstrations have incited other to do the same thing in their homes. Ever since this group has been implemented the rate of jiggers has greatly decreased in the areas in which they have demonstrated.

Jiggers are not the only issue that these women have faced in this group. Being a part of this group, the first of its kind, and helping to teach others (they mainly teach other women) goes against many of the cultural norms that have been in place for generations. In the Congolese and most of the other African cultures the males are the ones who construct the houses and are even the ones to smear the homes. However once the men construct the homes for their families, they often neglect or are ignorant of the importance of continually smearing the houses.

Christine's village, the base around the houses is to
 prevent jiggers and other dust born diseases.

The women’s role in the household has always been along the same lines of bearing and raising the family while taking care of their needs. If one of the children got sick or had jiggers, it was the responsibly of the females in the household to take care of the illness, the males have no part in the healing process since this is the woman’s job. However if the women are part of the healing process shouldn't they be a part of the prevention process as well? That exact idea was the spark that ignited the idea for the Women to Women’s group. If women have to take care of the family then they need to be the ones to help prevent the disease, parasites, and pests. Fortunately for the women in these communities the men have accepted the women’s role in smearing as long as it does not interfere with their construction. Though the men in these communities accept only small roles for women, it is a great epoch for their future generations.

The Women to Women groups in Kyangwali are not only a group of educators and preventers, but they are also pioneers. These trail blazers are brave enough to start fighting the old cultural norms and break down the social stigmas of their people, all while helping to educate and protect their families and neighbors. This inspiring group of women preform a very important duty in this settlement camp, but the most inspiring quality about all of these women is that they do not want to stop here. They wish to go one step further and learn farming, tailoring, and other trades from AAH so they can have more to teach to their community and prosper all together. 

Safe Motherhood Meeting

                                                                                                                   16/9/13

In rural parts of Africa child birth is still a major killer among mothers and new born babies. For generations in the unspoiled lands of Africa, children have been conceived the same way which is natural and without help from anyone medically trained. Often, mothers give birth to their children in the comfort of their homes but under unfavorable conditions, (stress, laborious tasks they used to do, and unsanitary surroundings). Due to the lack of knowledge in these rural communities complications often arise. That major lack of knowledge in these developing parts of the world create a large majority of the problems that mother’s face, (unaware of status of HIV, not breast feeding after birth, and having too many children). These problems too often lead to the death of mother or child, and sometimes even both. Neither mother nor child should ever die from childbirth.

In 1987 AAH realized that far too many mothers and children were dying due to complications arising in child birth and that the lack of knowledge that the refugees had in the camps was the root of the problem. AAH’s mission is better health and better livelihood, this is why the Safe Motherhood Program was founded in 1987 to help educate the general population of the settlement camps. This program, which is a branch of the Health Department began holding open meetings for the communities to come and attend. The meetings teach the safe practices that the mothers, families, and communities should use when a mother in their community is expecting.

AAH representatives hold the meeting
at the local Youth Center 

All issues are discussed when these meetings are in session to help break down some of the social stigmas that have been built up in these communities over generations. Everything from Planned Parenthood to HIV testing and even myths such as child birth being a disease are discussed in the meeting so everyone can learn and take this knowledge back to their communities. During the meetings all who attend are encouraged to ask any questions on the processes or what they might be able to do in order to help. So far this year Kyangwali has already lost six mothers and even more children all from childbirth, unfortunately all the mothers died after their fifth pregnancy. This preventable number of deaths is closely related to the education these women in the communities are not receiving.

 The main goal of these meetings are to keep the people informed of how they can have a safe pregnancy. The paramount issue that the Health Department pushes is by first conceiving the baby in the health centers and not at home. Women who are expecting are encouraged to visit the health centers at least four times throughout the pregnancy to check up on the status in order to test the health of the mother and fetus.

The four visits are for:

1.      Make sure the woman is pregnant

2.      Go for tests, HIV, malaria, and then receives results and provisions to protect her from diseases and parasites

3.      Check on status of pregnancy and see if the child can be delivered here in Kyangwali or if it must be delivered in Hoima (the nearest city an hour and a half away on dirt roads)

4.      Same as # 3

The earlier the better, women often delay to visit health centers and wait till the last minute when complications could arise. So the earlier a pregnant woman goes to the health center the easier the pregnancy will be. Once the expecting mother’s delays and waits until the later stages of labor then simple tasks like getting to the health centers in order to have a safe delivery become a problem. Though Kyangwali does have some ambulances, they are often being used for other emergencies. When they are able to come for the expecting mother when she is in her later stages, issues such as getting to the village and then getting back to the health center become difficult and very painful for the mothers. Families and mothers often delay so much that when the ambulance arrives the mother has already delivered. However the responsibility should not be on the mother alone to make sure the pregnancy is as safe as possible.

Sister Joan talks to the those who attend the meeting
about safe practices of childbirth

The Congolese refugees have a strong sense of community. Those at the meeting voice their concerns on child birthing deaths, they want these children to live because if not then a part of your country’s future dies, your culture’s future dies, and it’s a waste. Community participation in these villages in the camp is a huge point that AAH tries to drive into those who attend the meeting. If AAH can reach out and teach the communities on these processes then there will be less of a chance that the expecting mothers of that community will fail to perform these visits. Providing the families and communities with responsibility over the expecting mother will help encourage the mother to go and visit the health centers throughout her pregnancy.

Aside from failing to visit the health centers to assist in mothers pregnancies there are also other major issues that many refugees tend to ignore in the settlement camps. HIV is a massive problem all over the world, according to the WHO there are 35 million people living with HIV (two-thirds of which reside in Sub-Saharan Africa) and around 2.5 million people who become newly infected each year. Out of those 35 million who are living with it, 1.7 million die each year from HIV ⁽¹⁾. AAH talks with those at the meeting of the dangers of not being tested and not knowing of the individual’s status. This is one of the most dangerous issues for women and especially for expecting mothers.

For mothers who are unaware of their HIV status often stop breastfeeding or never start it in fear that they may transmit the infection to their newborn. This method would leave life-long issues which hurts the child almost as much as transmitting the infection to them. If the parents got tested and were aware of their HIV status then AAH could provide the necessary drugs so mothers would not have to believe that they must stop nurturing their newborns in order to keep them safe.

The meeting stresses on couple testing for HIV, this is a major issue to test to know if someone is safe. If AAH can prevent the child from getting HIV it is one less person they need to worry about for drugs. This year alone the HIV prevalence is 6.2% and increasing, more and more refugees are getting infected daily whether it is from lack of knowledge or malicious cases such as rapes. Out of the ever growing 20,000+ population of Kyangwali, there are thousands of people in the settlement camp that are unaware of their status; not knowing tends to cause a great deal of problems.

AAH hands out condoms in efforts to promote
Planned Parenthood

Having too many kids is also another major issue in the settlement camp, which is why Planned Parenthood is another critical program which AAH teaches in these meetings. When parents have too many children than they can bare they are unknowingly driving themselves into poverty. Taking care of the needs, health, and school supplies of one or two children can add up to a lot of money for the parents. When the parents start having more than two children then complications arise for the whole family, its becomes a worse life for everyone, parent and child a like. AAH tries to show at the meeting that having fewer children will help their financial situation and also the health of their entire family. Being aware of Planned Parenthood and having fewer children will help the parents focus more on the health, safety, and supplies for the children they already have.

AAH tries to promote the individual’s culture as much as possible, they do not want refugees to lose themselves and who they are just because they are in the settlement camp. When the refugees and their children start dying due to the lack of knowledge or the unwillingness to help themselves, a part of their culture does die, their future dies. Things will never change until people are ready to learn, they need to learn the proper and safer ways of doing things. HIV testing, Planned Parenthood, and safer practices of pregnancy are all major issues that need to be addressed to the refugees of Kyangwali. Helping those who attend the meetings change will help their communities change as well. Hopefully in time these small changes can add up to big decreases in the amount of deaths of mothers and children.   

⁽¹⁾        World Health Organization, “HIV/ AIDS” 30^th June 2013, http://www.who.int/features/qa/71/en/

Children of Kyangwali

Personal Stories: Nepo & Amani                                                                                                11/9/2013

Nepo Nteziyaremye

Nepo Nteziyaremye (27) and Amani Jean Damas (30) have both grown up in Kyangwali spending more than half their lives, seventeen years each in the refugee settlement camp. Independent of the other, both of their families made their decisions to seek refuge from the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo and leave their homes to find safety. To Nepo and Amani the DRC is not a place they knew as home, though it is where they were born, there is not a connection like there is with Kyangwali. Both men have created lives and families here, building their own homes, getting married with wives they met in Kyangwali, and raising two children each. Growing up in the camp, making new friends, and building their lives here, it has always seemed to them that Kyangwali has been their home.  

Coming to Kyangwali and being raised here from an early age gave them the opportunity to see how much this settlement camp helped their families. The generosity that they experienced from AAH and the organizations in Kyangwali compelled them to give back their own communities and help however they can. From early on in 2009 Nepo was a club leader in his local club which helped the youth in his community with schooling and activities; Amani had been trained as a peer educator from school ever since 2007. AAH got word and had sought out each of these men to help with programs due to their exemplary conduct and devotion to help their communities.

The Youth Center where Nepo and Amani
help out

Nepo and Amani now help out in a variety of projects ranging from assisting AAH field workers when they are meeting or teaching different communities to working in the Youth Center as mentors, teaching and helping out the younger refugee population. Nepo and Amani are both trained in a variety of  languages that are spoken here in Kyangwali which makes each of them incredibly valuable when meeting other refugees. Often newly arrived refugees or even veteran ones at the camp often do not listen or speak to AAH field workers because of the lack of comfortably and familiarity with the staff. Having these two men who are refugees themselves to work and translate for AAH bridges that gap between field workers and refugees, making the community more comfortable with programs and meetings. Nepo and Amani help in many of the programs, especially in the health sector to help convey the message and help teach others about health issues refugees should be aware of here in Kyangwali.

Amani Jean Damas

Aside from being translators they also help with home teachings, going around to different villages and blocks and also teaching to those who do not wish to come out to meetings, such as women and children. Nepo and Amani reach out to these communities and try to break down social stigmas about viruses and diseases (HIV/ AIDS) and provide support for those who have health issues and are infected. The community may not see benefits of the programs or these two going around from village to village. But what these two men teach is prevention, which is arguably the most important part that every sector of AAH tries to work on with the refugees.

 

Being a vital part of AAH has helped both of these men fulfill many of their needs to help out their communities. But being a part of these programs and working to help teach refugees have also helped their families learn and prosper. Learning of all of these health issues and becoming the voices of AAH has helped them teach their loved ones and keep them safe from many of these issues. Both of their families have become exemplary in their communities, becoming the model refugees and showing everyone how to live in the refugee camp and how use safe health practices for prevention.  

Personal Story: Marie Mafuta Yanakia

                                                                                                                                                13/9/2013

Finding a sense of familiarity or belonging in a refugee settlement camp is the toughest feat for any newly arrived refugee. They have to leave their homes, friends, and a greater part of their belongings to come to an unknown place in hopes to start over in a safe environment. What refugees do after they get to a safe environment is up to them. Many refugees come to camps already mentally defeated, without the will to strive for more with this new opportunity in Kyangwali, while others fight and claw their way back to the path of a similar life they used to know or perhaps even a better one. For Marie Mafuta Yanakia the struggle to get her life back was a difficult journey on an emotional roller-coaster full of highs and very lows.

Marie Mafuta Yanakia in her garden

Marie has been a produce farmer all of her life. Back in the Democratic Republic of Congo, before she was forced to leave the country, Marie had a thriving business growing and selling all sorts of produce and animals to local markets and restaurants. She farmed her own massive garden that was able to sustain her family comfortably and was also able to buy medicine for her children and all of their necessary school supplies. Marie had a gardening group of around twenty women where they taught one another and others in their village how to farm. Each week this group pulled their money together to help less fortunate people in their community get back on their feet or to provide medicine. She was happy with the life she had and the friends she farmed with, living comfortably in the place she was born.

 However, when the conflict grew to be too much and was threatening her and her family’s lives, Marie had no choice but to leave her home, friends, and her group behind for safety away from the fighting and violence. Marie lost everything she worked her entire life for; she had to abandon her crops and animals, only taking what she could carry and what was most important to her. All to come to a settlement camp where she had no old familiar faces, no farm or home. Marie had to start over with only the small amount of things she brought with her from the DRC.

When Marie left the DRC and came to Kyangwali, the only thing she prayed for each night was for everything to get back to the way it was when she was home. She had never felt so terrified of what the future in this settlement camp would bring. Never felt so lost and alone when they dropped her, her husband, and their three children off in their empty rationed out plot of land where they had to build a new house, farm, and life. Marie feared for her family’s livelihood every day since they left the DRC. How would she take care of her children if they got sick? How would she be able to send her children to school in this foreign country without being able to supply them with their school supplies? How would they be able to make ends meet if she could not farm? These questions and others swirled in her head and only made her more anxious and fearful of her new life here.

Marie has been at Kyangwali for two years now, and in these two years Marie and her family had to struggle and fight to get a piece of the life they once had back home in the DRC. For two years she had to find the strength to carry on even during times when life seemed like it was fighting against her at every turn. But in those two short years, Marie has prevailed, being able to establish herself, her family, and their lives in this foreign country they are now beginning to call home.

Marie with some of the members of her gardening group

 Here in Kyangwali, Marie is doing what she knows best. With the support of AAH she is once again a produce farmer in the settlement camp, growing and selling onions, cabbage, beans, and eggplants; raising and selling pigs and chickens, all to the local markets and restaurants. Receiving assistance and advice from AAH workers on health and agriculture, Marie is again on the path that she once was back in the DRC. Though the life here may not be everything she had when she was home, it is still a step in the right direction to getting her life back in order. Marie has been able to form a new gardening group of seven women, (it was thirteen at one point until the other six split off to form their own group due to the success) helping one another grow their farms, build their houses, take care of each other’s children when needed, and settle here in Kyangwali.

The benefits of owning a farm goes far beyond the potential income for the family, it also benefits the family’s nutritional health, which in a new area with refugees constantly pouring in is one of the most important things in order to stay healthy. The farm has helped send her children to school with all of their necessary supplies, and whenever her children do get sick, Marie is able to run to the garden to pick produce and sell it to market. That money she makes from her vegetables helps to purchase medicine for her children in order to get them healthy again. Thanks to her produce and the nutrition it provides her family, they rarely get sick and need medicine, this goes for everyone in her gardening group as well.

All the ladies of the group help each other pick produce
in their gardens 

Marie still has a long way to go until she can get back to where her life was in the DRC, though she may not have a plot of land as large as she did before, it is enough to provide for her and her family. There are many things Marie still wishes to do here in Kyangwali with her new gardening group. So far they have not been able to collect money to help other refugees with construction of their homes or medicine to help families, this is something she is hoping to implement here in the upcoming year. However, the group is still able to make a difference and work with AAH to teach others in the community by setting an example and showing new refugees how to farm properly to get the most out of their gardens so they can be healthy and successful as well.

     Marie’s agonizing and grief-stricken story, being torn away from her home and country and moved into a foreign nation, is an all too familiar one in any refugee camp. But in all desperate and tragic situations there are always pioneers like Marie who strive for a better life for their family and community. These pioneers do whatever it takes not to have the conflict that drove them out of their homes haunt them. They do not dare let this conflict and past lives in the DRC affect their future here as they strive to take control of their new beginnings in Kyangwali.

Personal Story: Nkoy Rocky

                                                                                                                                            9/9/2013

Nkoy Rocky (green, behind and right)
Kavira Mutelya (green/white and left)

Nkoy Rocky is a Congolese refugee sent over to reside in the Kyangwali Refugee Settlement Camp back in 2000 with his wife Kavira Mutelya and his seven children when conflict was escalating back at home. He left behind an entire life on the day that he had to move, including a good career working as an immigration officer for the government and an established home where he lived his entire life, all to pack up and move to the unknown. The decision for refugees to leave is never an easy one, having to pack up only the essential things they are able to carry with them and leave their homes, roots and ancestry. All of this left behind in the blink of an eye, having to leave their country, their friends and neighbors, and a greater part of themselves, all in the dead of night to come to some place where they have to start all over again, but this time without the comforts and freedoms they once had before all the conflict started.

When Nkoy left the Congo, his thoughts only brought him to wonder...how much longer would he have to suffer as he did back at home, how much longer would he be able to provide for his wife and children, and when, if ever, would life be normal again. For months he asked himself these questions, always with the memory of the conflict at home still fresh in the back of his mind, weighing heavily on his shoulders. For the longest period, Nkoy never thought he would be able to attain some deliverance from the demons of the conflict that tortured his mind and soul ever since he had escaped. He had lived through nightmares no man should dare dream about, and seen things no one should ever have to.

Nkoy only started to see a new hope of a better life; that faint spark at the end of the miserable long dark tunnel through which he emerged, only after he made his journey through all the check points and entered into Kyangwali. He did not look upon Kyangwali as many refugees would see other facilities, that is as a camp or a place of holding. He looked at Kyangwali as a new start, a new life to make for him and Kavira, a new and safe place to raise their seven children together. Immediately, in the convoy which they all arrived in, he was voted and proclaimed chairperson of their new community, all based on his previous positions, exemplary behavior, and the amount of respect his peers had for him. But this was only the start of things to come for Nkoy in Kyangwali.

Nkoy's compound

For years while Nkoy tried to arrange his new life in block twenty three of Kyeibitaka village, he established a new compound full of huts, sheds, latrines, showers, and even a massive shelter for their farm animals, all while trying to teach others how to do the same. Through all of his success here in Kyangwali, Nkoy only attributes his drive to living for the children. Everything he has done here is for them, so that one day they would be able to have a better and educated life; one without the stress of conflict surrounding them and without the torments of the unknown. Through this success in farming beans, vegetables, and animals, he has been able to supply clothing and school fees for all of his children. Nkoy even opened his home to another child, one orphaned by the conflict back at home and took the responsibility from UNHCR to take care of this child as one of his own, now bringing his family to a complete number of 10. 

Kavira demonstrates the hand washing facility

During 2006 when Nkoy was established in his home and had become a highly respected Chairman of his community, he wanted to find even more ways and other areas in which he may be able to help. Nkoy resigned from the chairman position in the community and began to volunteer with AAH, joining the W.A.S.H (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) program and taking responsibility of the borehole that was established behind his home. From 2006 until today, Nkoy is now the chairman of sanitation in this area, working with the community, leading by example, and going around from house to house and teaching the sanitary practices that the villagers should be observing in their daily lives in order to improve their health.

But even here in Kyangwali there are struggles and every chairman position in a refugee settlement camp has its fill of headaches from the community. Even though he tries to move people forward in the W.A.S.H programs, there are some who only seem to be moving backward; not taking precautions or living with animals in a dirty house that not suitable for living. These are some of the many things Nkoy must deal with in his community. Being the gatekeeper of the borehole brings even more issues to his plate. While trying to maintain the working condition of the borehole, many in the community go so far as to calling him a dictator using the borehole for his own personal needs, and not letting the borehole be shared by the community.

The borehole behind Nkoy's compound

However, those that accuse him of such atrocities often do not get to see the work and time that he has and continues to devote to this borehole, and why he does what he does in order to keep it well maintained. Many in the community do not respect the borehole the way he does, bringing their animals along with them to the water source and not cleaning up after them, or community children who come to play and bask in the water but end up breaking the lever of the borehole. All of this, the community often neglects or does not get to see, but these are the reasons why he must be stern and keep the water source under lock and key; putting his foot down on many situations in order to have a proper working borehole for all of the community to use.

Though there are stresses in Kyangwali life, Nkoy is still happy with the life he has today. He has been able to do all that he has wanted to do and more, from taking care of all of his children and adopting a new addition, to helping take care and teach the community about vital issues that many refugees often forget once they come. As Nkoy looks back and reminisces about the path from which he came, he can see the difficult road he had to walk in order to get to where he is today and find the peace in his life again. Here in Kyangwali, he was able to re-establish his life and turn misery and chaos into happiness and order. The order he once had before all the fighting started. The order he had in his home in the Congo, in his job in the government, in his community and his life. Nkoy has been given a second chance at life. He took that chance and ran as far as he could with it; all for his community, his wife Kavira, and most importantly, for his children. 

When a Borehole Can Change a Community

                                                                                                                                                   6/9/2013

               Having a safe, clean, reliable water source in a refugee settlement camp is the difference between being sick on a deathbed and being healthy with no threatening illness. When thousands of refugees flock to Kyangwali, the greatest immediate issue is where to find a safe usable water source for all of their needs. A quick solution to the problem is often a water tank which can be filled up regularly by the AAH and UNHCR staff. However, this can become an inconvenient and unreliable water source if there are too many tanks around and these organizations cannot keep up with the demand on refilling the water tanks. The long term and more reliable solution is to dig deep down into the earth and install a borehole for the whole community to use.

Standard borehole under lock and key

               Boreholes are great solutions for communities to get a supply of fresh, unspoiled, ground water to use for their daily needs. Here in Block three of Kyeibitaka village in Kyangwali, the borehole established back in December of 2012 has changed the lives of the entire community which it supports. Around fifty to sixty homes in this community are supported by this borehole for their water needs. Refugees come by foot and on bikes every morning and night to try to get the necessary amount of clean water they need to last them for the day. 

Before December 2012 when this borehole did not exist, refugees in this area had to trek to get their supply of water down from the swamp, which is located just below where this borehole is established now. Not only was this a dangerous and daunting trip one had to make every day but swamp water, which is still water, is contaminated and festering with different diseases and parasites. During the hot African dry seasons, any water source available to children looks like a veritable playground where they could play and cool off for a moment. However, what lurks in those swampy waters are some of the most threatening diseases and parasites known to man here in Africa. Before the borehole, it was not an uncommon site to find children contracting and infected with Cholera, Schistosomiasis, and Malaria (from mosquitos by the water). Since then, the children and the community who use this borehole now see a change in their health and happiness.

"Donated by UNHCR, Implemented by AAH- I"

Now they can use the water from the borehole for everything, and sanitation and hygiene have improved significantly since AAH constructed this borehole. There have been countless cases where children’s lives have been saved because of this borehole. Since the cleanliness has improved in the community, the community itself has improved as well. Both farming and sanitary practices have improved greatly, causing the community to thrive and grow into one of the most successful and exemplary communities in Kyangwali. AAH continuously tries to encourage this self-sustainability in the communities so that one day they may be able to take responsibility of their own water tanks and boreholes. Maybe the example set by this community can motivate other communities to join hands and keep maintenance on their water source as a priority, and give themselves a chance to flourish as well.

The borehole is a prized possession for the community here in block three of Kyeibitaka village. Nagish Vaney the Chairperson of this community along with his nine other community members, take on the responsibility and the management of this water source. It is an important task to keep this borehole clean and well-maintained if they wish to continue using it for all of their needs. It is also the responsibility of the entire community who use this water source to also take care and respect it. Each family that uses this borehole must contribute a small fee of one thousand Ugandan Shillings every three months in order to be allowed access to it. Each month the committee holds meetings to make all water users accountable for their fees. It is a small price to pay for the comfort of knowing that your water is safe and usable, and all fees go to the maintenance of this borehole. Already this community had to come together to buy, with the maintenance fund, and replace the pipes of the borehole due to rust and wrong material.

(in yellow) Mahoro Vivagisa - Care Taker of the Borehole, 

(in orange) Liuagisa Annusite- Treasurer of the Borehole

(in white)  Nagish Vaney - Chairman of the community

Just as in any good organization, here they also have rules to live by when using this borehole. The borehole is locked up and only open from early morning until 9 a.m. and then from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. This prevents people from coming at odd hours and collecting water and/or breaking the borehole. Everyone has obeyed these rules because they know the borehole's importance to this community and to life in general in the refugee settlement camp.

New Reception Area: Kagoma

                                                                                                                                              5/9/2013

The reception center of a refugee settlement camp is the first point of contact with the new arrivals which sets the refugees up with the supplies and temporary shelters that they need to start off with in Kyangwali. The current reception area being used to host these incoming refugees has been located at one of the local schools here in town. Though it has worked as a make-shift facility for now, a new site for this reception area must be constructed before the start of a new school year. Fortunately, the Ugandan People Defense Forces, funded by UNHCR, have started construction on the new reception area that is located in the village called Kagoma.    

Sleeping shelters ready for refugees

Unlike other reception areas that were/are based around schools, this one is set up with its own land and structures that are properly suited for housing and preparing incoming refugees for their new lives. UNHCR aims to push around three convoys per week, carrying around 1500 people per convoy. However, the average time it takes to equip, move, and settle a refugee convoy is three days.

       

          Day One: Arriving

          Day Two: Distributing

          Day Three: Moving them to their plots

Having this new and larger reception area will help alleviate some of the demand that is put on these organizations to process and settle this influx of refugees; at the same time making the process easier for the refugees, who already have to undergo two similar facilities before reaching this final stage.  

More shelters being constructed to house as
many refugees as possible

The reception center will have eight 8x20 meter facilities for sleeping, other facilities for cooking, registration, and distribution points. Once completed this center will be the largest and the official reception center of Kyangwali. Since the school that they use now for the reception center opens on September 16th, this new reception center needs to be open before then, and the school cleaned up.

Despite all this, a few issues will still prevail even with the opening of the new center. UNHCR wants to move three convoys in per week to try to get as many refugees as possible into Kyangwali. If each convoy takes a minimum of three days to process them, then they will fall short two days and will fall behind their targeted number. Even with this new reception center built, the demand in Kyangwali is too great to keep up with. There is never a comfortable median where the refugees can pour in and the organizations can process and keep them supplied. On top of this, if the weather turns to unfavorable conditions, then they may not even be able to settle these refugees in the three days they quote. Both the organizations and the refugees are running out of time, help, and patience here in Kyangwali. 

W.A.S.H: Community Meeting

                                                                                                                                                   9/3/2013

               In refugee settlement camps water and hygiene practices can mean the difference between life or death for many who live here. With the constant rush of refugees coming into Kyangwali and setting up their new lives, important issues such as the safe practice of obtaining clean water and sanitation often get put on the back burner. This is the reason why W.A.S.H (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) is one of the largest sectors of AAH. W.A.S.H travels out to the villages in Kyangwali multiple times a week to hold community meetings in each one. Their goal in these meetings is to explain to the community members the best practices in W.A.S.H and to try to prevent W.A.S.H-related diseases such as cholera, malaria, and diarrhea.

Head of W.A.S.H Richard Ariku educates a
community on safe water practices

Meetings like this are held routinely by AAH in order for the community to come together and learn about the diseases that are a threat to the refugees all over the settlement camp. Visits such as these help AAH stay connected with each village and in turn helps the villages stay connected with AAH, which gives them a chance to voice their concerns or ask questions. Richard Ariku, the head of AAH’s W.A.S.H program in Kyangwali, attends each of these meetings and reaches out to the community and provides them with whatever help the refugees need.

The way communities are established in Kyangwali are based off of the convoys the refugees happen to come in from. Each convoy of refugees is established like its own town or village, and in each convoy, there is one spokesperson or chairperson elected by the convoy who acts similar to a mayor for that specific community. The earlier AAH can get into a community and talk about the dangers and benefits of W.A.S.H the better it is and the more it will help prevent waterborne disease. The refugees at this meeting have been here in Kyangwali for three weeks, and right off the bat they are encouraged to build permanent structures and settle in their land. Around 5000 new refugees have settled into this area and AAH needs to hold these meetings for each convoy that comes into Kyangwali. They need to educate the refugees and hold elections to establish a Committee of Exemplary People who will listen and help their community live in a safer environment.

Community meeting

Topics for the meeting are:

-        Environmental sanitation

-        Encouraging own latrines, permanent housing

-        Drying racks

-        Hand-washing facilities

-        Clean houses

-        Elections for committee

Many from the community attend the meeting, including men, women, and children, but men show the most strength in numbers, which reflects the role that they play in these households. One of the first topics discussed in the meeting was how AAH can work with and help this community use safe water practices; that is boiling water and not collecting it from areas where contaminates are known to fester. Richard provides as much support as he can, even going as far as giving his personal cell phone number out to each community so that they can call him directly for help and ask questions. He guides the community to areas where they will be able to get safe water and also finds other water sources the community may be using and checks if they are safe to use. The Red Cross Society of Uganda also was present at the meeting in order to try and drive the safe water usage points with AAH.

Red Cross officials explaining (with visual aid) symptoms of
cholera and other water borne diseases 

Since Kyangwali is near Lake Albert, AAH and the Red Cross must teach the community about the dangers and symptoms of cholera and other waterborne diseases. They also tell them to avoid certain streams where cholera has been known to live. So far, there have been no cases of cholera in this community, and the only sanitary problem that they have an issue with is Jiggers (small flies that normally live around pigs due to the filth, that feed on blood and dig into feet). The refugees often keep animals in their houses, which is the cause of most of these cases. This is all caused by poor hygiene. The villagers were also advised on how to use the safe practices of water and sanitation by learning sanitary practices of latrine use, safe practices of food consumption (must wash hands before eating, diarrhea-related diseases, also the use of boiled water), malaria prevention (not using mosquito nets for building their homes but use them for sleeping under), and the difference between water that should be used for drinking and water that should be used for other activities such as washing clothes and leisure. 

During the meeting, Richard makes AAH’s plan clear for this community. He tells them not to continue living in temporary structures and to start establishing new permanent homes. Many refugees new to the settlement camp hold on to the notion that Kyangwali is not somewhere they will be living for a long time, but in reality it is quite the opposite. Refugees are told that the Congo is no longer their home for the moment and to make Uganda their home now; that the surrounding families and communities are now their brothers and that they need to help each other establish a new life here. Being a refugee in a settlement camp here in Uganda means that nobody is alone in their struggle. AAH emphasizes community collaboration to them and working together with their community to build permanent housing, dig latrines, set up hand-washing facilities, and help each other grow into their new lives.

This village helps clear the area around the tank
for better drainage 

AAH’s motto is ‘working with refugees instead of working for them’, which means that there is no benefit in providing the refugees with everything because they need to learn these skills and later on they will take these projects for granted and lose respect for them. If the refugees help with projects and work with AAH, then they will take pride in their work, treat that project with respect, and take ownership over it. In this upcoming week AAH plans on installing a new water tank in this village to make gathering safe, usable water easier for the people here. Richard has asked for the help of the community to first establish a foundation for the tank so that the work can be done quicker while also teaching the refugees in this community to work together.

When the refugees first arrive into the village, AAH helps construct communal latrines. However, these communal latrines are an inconvenience to everyone in the area due to the distance and overuse.  Because they are inconvenient and also unsanitary from overuse, every family is encouraged to dig their own latrines. To make sure that each family is constructing their own, AAH goes around to every family in these new areas and checks to see if they have set up proper facilities that are not a threat to their health. To help promote the construction of these proper facilities, AAH rallies the community and puts together a competition to see who can establish all of the complete permanent structures that AAH encourages everyone to construct. The winners of the competition in each villages receive prizes such as mattresses, bed seats, hand-washing facilities, soap, etc.  

               Before ending the meeting, Richard has the community hold an election to establish a committee to elect five men and five women from their community to be examples of safe practices and to help reinforce everything that this meeting covered today. The committee members will also hear the concerns of all the villagers and become the voice of the people in these meetings. AAH trains these 10 people and evaluates them to see if they would be a good candidate for a leadership position in the community. The 10 members can all call for community meetings to address issues and other problems that they may see or experience. These committee members are also responsible for going around the village, to check up on how progress of permanent construction is going, see if the tools the people are given are being used, and if not, they take them and give them to someone else who needs them. These committee members should be the model citizens to be an example for, and help everyone else in the community.

The elected committee members of this community

When the elections are finished and all the topics of importance have been discussed, Richard asks the committee of newly-elected officials when they can hold their next meeting of just villagers. Meetings like this one are an important staple of the W.A.S.H curriculum. Richard tries to attend community meetings weekly to really reiterate what they have discussed today and stay on top of how the progress of construction and sanitary practices are going.

Personal Story: Ninsiima Gideon- Legal Advisor for AAH

                                                                                                                                                           2/9/2013

Ninsiima Gideon has worked as a legal advisor for previous refugee camps around Uganda and has now been recruited by AAH to come and provide his services in Kyangwali. Being a legal advisor in a refugee camps means that Ninsiima must go into the villages and assist with legal cases ranging from a number of issues. Since the camp is located within Uganda, Ugandan law is used to advise and rule over these cases and disputes by the local magistrate here in Kyangwali. It is not Ninsiima’s job to defend anyone in court but instead to guide each party involved in the dispute to a peaceful solution for the conflict at hand. If anything, Ninsiima is more of a peacekeeper.

            Aside from finding a peaceful solution to the conflict, Ninsiima must also look after the human rights of a convicted person. If the person convicted is given bail, he sees if the convict’s condition is being violated; he ensures that the convict has proper treatment, is being given food and shelter, and is not being abused. However, not only does Ninsiima have to mind the convict’s rights while they are incarcerated, but he also has to look at the waves that the convict created which will have rippled far beyond himself. Ninsiima will also have to look after the convict’s family and observe if there is anyone else who may have been affected by this situation. For example, if someone convicted is sent off to prison and they are the main breadwinner for the family, then Ninsiima must see how the family will survive in the convict’s absence and also if they are being treated fairly back in their community. Ninsiima also tries to protect the family and make sure that they do not suffer from this incident.

In order for Ninsiima to do his job, he must find out from the police about the disputes in the villages, bring these cases to the OPM (Office of the Prime Minister) and UNHCR to ask for counsel and assistance, work with doctors if medical proof is necessary to help build a case, and then bring it before the Magistrate so that they can make a ruling. He goes to the site of the crime and speaks with family members, neighbors, witnesses, accusers, and anyone else involved in the case somehow to find out if the person who was convicted can be reintegrated back into the society comfortably, and try to resolve the issue.

Usually one or two people from the village will go and stand for and against the accused, and see if they can try to settle the dispute. The convicted person can agree to a fine to pay damages, transportation costs, or medical bills. These cases can be over anything; land disputes, drunken brawls, assault, murder, or rape, but anything of a more serious nature then follows the usual court proceedings. The accused person is tried, convicted, and then sentenced using Ugandan law. Since this is Ugandan law, only incidents that happen within Uganda may be taken to court. However, what is unfortunate is that many conflicts that Ninsiima comes across originate back from when the refugees were still in the Congo.

Any job position inside a refugee camp is not without its stress. Transportation is a huge issue throughout the camp and it is difficult for someone like Ninsiima to do his duties if he cannot go to, or bring people from a village to help resolve conflicts. However, transportation is not the biggest issue that Ninsiima faces when working. “Cases take an emotional toll on you in different ways”, Ninsiima explained while we were sitting down at lunch. There are some cases which he cannot help but get emotionally invested in. When he sees a great injustice but the law cannot help because the accused may have run off or the case may be void in Uganda due to the crime being committed across national borders, it starts to toy with his emotions and make his job even more difficult.

In many cases, you can get people from the village to come to court, but sometimes they disappear and run back to the Congo or somewhere else to avoid being tried if they know it was a serious crime. There are some who also run if they do not want to go before the court and pay the damages or any fees that they may be ordered to. If this happens, then Ninsiima has to inform OPM and the police so that they can make a report and attempt to find the people, or if they do return, then the case will not be dropped and justice will hopefully be served. OPM and UNHCR need to be kept in the loop of the proceedings of the cases in order to assist with the process and help carry the burden and enforcement of these cases as well.

Struggling Without the Camp

                                                                                                                                                   28/8/2013

One of the biggest issues with other camps around the world is that they restrict the lives and the movement of the refugees to the camp perimeter. In 1993, the Ugandan government allowed organizations to implement a new revolutionary way to establish refugee camps in the country. Instead of forming traditional camps, a new ‘settlement plan’ was implemented, which was pioneered by Action Africa Help. While in other countries, refugees are placed into camps and are not provided with land that they can use and call their own, nor are they given tools or support that they can use to build a comfortable life with.

Here in Uganda, they do not restrict the lives or the movement of the refugees; they are able to sell and trade with local communities and live the lives that other nationals here in Uganda are able to. On top of that, the refugees have other perks and advantages that they are provided with for being a part of the settlement camp (medical, education, sanitation, etc.). Settlement camps within Uganda give the refugees a chance to make a comfortable living for themselves, which many here in Kyangwali are able to do. Once integrated into the camp, the refugees wait until they are informed on what the next option is for them. The time in these camps can last for years or in some cases even decades.

There are two solutions for reintegrating refugees back into a normal life outside the camp.   

1.      Durable Solutions:

-        Once intergraded into the camp, refugees can decided if they want to become citizens of Uganda.

-        For refugees who do not wish to become Ugandan citizens or be repatriated back into their home countries, assistance is provided to help refugees immigrate to new countries, most commonly the United States or in Europe.  

2.      "Succession Close":

-        If the Congo (or whichever country they flee from) is free from conflict and is peaceful, they are encouraged to return and be repatriated (return to their home countries).

However many refugees get used to the life they live inside the camp and find it difficult to leave. Fortunately and unfortunately there is a lot of protection and support for the refugees within the camp. Refugees feel safe and comfortable here because much of the medical, education, sanitation, etc. is provided to them. Once they leave the camp and either become repatriated or naturalized into their host country, this assistance is no longer provided for them.