9/9/2013
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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