About us

ABOUT US

War, persecution, starvation, and genocidal violence over the last 30 years have forced many Banyamulenge Tutsi families and individuals out of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. With no safe space available in their homelands, many escaped to refugee camps in neighboring countries such as Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda in hopes of gaining a safe place to stay and raise they kids while waiting for the unknown.

In 2004, armed combatants attacked a refugee camp in Gatumba, Burundi, killing 166 people and wounding 106. Most of the victims were Banyamulenge Tutsi, who have been the continued victims of genocidal violence from Hutu rebels who want them to be “exterminated.” Life in a refugee camp is anything BUT a refuge.

Camp residents spend their days hoping to be chosen for one of the available resettlement programs, but there are far more applicants than spots. As a result, many families are forced to stay in these camps far beyond their intended capacity. Schooling for children is provided, but woefully inadequate. Opportunities are non-existent, and hope is at a premium.

Those who do make it out of the camps and into a new life as a resettled refugee quickly find that the education and training they received in the camp is insufficient to find a well-paying job. They start out their new lives multiple laps behind their peers, struggling to keep up or even to stay in the game.