Reconciliation of Refugees Returning from Exile.

IPB DECEMBER 2021 NARRATIVE REPORT

Introduction

This report is shared the day before the GlobalGiving’s year-End campaign. That I invite you to participate in yourself and let your family members and friend to donate for the project aiming at reconciling returnees from the Exile in Burundi. This December Monthly Donation will last for 5 days since December 13 till 17, 2021.

 The IPB’s action plan 2021-2022, aligned reintegration of returnees from the exile as the priority.

Following this action plan, IPB conducted a three days’ Healing and Rebuilding Our Communities basic workshop in Musaga secondary Scholl with twenty (20) students including seven (7) male and thirteen female (13). Among them returnees the exile. this workshop was conducted on December 2 till 4, 2021

Following are key stories from that peace workshop

 Eloi: I was wounded by my father’s death and my mother’s behavior following this death. Being his beloved son, my father urged me to be his keep sick. In that circumstance, he told me encouraging stories and many advises regarding life. Without much delay, he passed away. After his death, my mother left me and married another man. This act became an opportunity for my family members to appropriate our property. Both my mother and my family members rejected me. I was taken care by a neighbor until today. During the 2015 crisis I moved for a refugee camp. As the situation standardized itself a little bite we came back in Bujumbura. These situation affected me at the point I miss sleep during the night. Bad dreams and flash back, despair, lack of confidence in anybody, fear of death and other bad things overwhelmed me.

I’m thankful for the neighbor who took care of me and kept me in school in the conditions he was able to afford. Many thanks to IPB-HROC for this training of trauma and the way to overcome from it. This is my first time to speak out my situation and I believe that I will be healed.

Francine: I want to confess the grief I carry for years due the loss of two children within my family that happened almost the same period and I have the same age of one of them. The first died on Christmas day when the second followed the same week.   The first was taken care at the hospital where he was given the first medication and died suddenly. The second died after. During this workshop I got chance to see symptoms that I developed yet as wounds of this grief. 

Many thanks to IPB-HROC and its partners that are concerned by trauma situation. I didn’t believe I could get opportunity to know and speak out my psychological situation

Report by Elie Nahimana, Project leader

On the behalf of IPB

• prayer and Best wishes for Returnees (DOCX)