Reconciliation of Refugees Returning from Exile.

by Innovations in Peacemaking Burundi
Reconciliation of Refugees Returning from Exile.

Project Report | Nov 18, 2022
IPB August narrative Report

By Elie NAHIMANA | Project leader

IPB AUGUST 2022 NARRATIVE REPORT

Context

The COVID 19 pandemic has visibly reduced and the good governance and Human Right respect continued to be improved. The fuel penny observed since the Russian invaded Ukraine was solved now. The returnees coming from exile still in a considerable number.

To assist those retunes IPB conducted two Healing and Rebuilding Our Communities Basic workshops on August 29 till 31 where 20 young women participated. Those women were organized in two Self Help Groups to raise their social cohesion and economic resilience.

Following are key success stories

I lost many people including my father, my mother and my old brother. Their death touched me, but that of my old brother’s daughter affected me so much. She had finished her studies and had a fiancé. Two days after paying her dowry, she got sick and went to look for a doctor for examination. The results of all medical tests were negatives. I bought medicine for her. As the situation worsen day after day, she told me that shed didn’t have hope to recover since the ex of her fiancé had told her that she was not going to get married by him. She passed three days without eating or drink. On the third day she asked for water to drink. I gave her a glass of water. After drinking it, she told me bye and passed away in my arms. Her death wounded me a lot at the point that whenever I use to see her picture I cried and start to ask her why she left us.

During this workshop I got to know my psychological situation following the causes and symptoms of trauma we come to learn. What was more strengthening was to learn the way of recovering from wounds caused by situation I went through.

The fact of organizing participants in a Self Help Group for financial resilience was appreciable to me as it will contribute to my effective integration after five year living a refugees Camp

Marie Rose

My mother was massacred during the 1993 crises following the Hero of democracy NDADAYE Melchior assassination and many among the members of his government.

In the same period I lost my husband, himself assassinated by the army. I had five children. As the security situation continued to worsen, we attended an IDP Camp for at least a year. My children were victim of the malnutrition.

I brought to the hospital for nutritional supplement. I met there a guy who proposed me to get married with him. I took that risk to get someone to help me raise my five children.

First incident: he had another wife. The second one, he too died without much time with him. I was then qualify to be a curse in my community; a wife without any blessing. Each person in my community walked away from me. It was very hard for me to leave home as each one was spat on me.

I isolate myself from the community and developed series of trauma symptoms.

I’m glad that I come to learn the ways of recovering from it and that after trauma experience, the life must continue.

Being part of the Self Help Group creates a community around and economic resilience that was among my primary needs today

Many thanks to IPB and its partners

 

Elaborated by Elie Nahimana

Project leader


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Organization Information

Innovations in Peacemaking Burundi

Location: Bujumbura - Burundi
Project Leader:
Elie Nahimana
Bujumbura , Burundi

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