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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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