Risking their lives for refugees
Risking their lives for refugees
The past two weeks I have been based in a little village in the eastern Tanzania province of Kigoma, which borders Burundi. Since March 2015, this region has been hosting more than 150,000 Burundian refugees, 75% of whom are women and children. Refugees are currently being hosted in three camps (Nyangurusu, Nduta and Mtelendi) with a fourth on its way if the current flow of refugees does not decrease.
Today alone, 700 individuals were registered in Mtelendi!
Plan International was one of the first agencies to start supporting Burundian refugees and it has now become the child protection lead in Nduta and Mtelendi. This means that our Tanzanian colleagues (a team of more than 60 individuals, between case and incentive workers) have been registering and caring for child refugees that are separated and/or unaccompanied every single day for the past 16 months.
Our aid workers do an assessment of a child’s individual situation and then they determine what is best for that child, which is usually to be placed with foster parents. These are generous families that with little themselves, decide to welcome another child to their home so they can be cared for and kept safe. We have been providing clothes, soap, blankets, or sanitary towels to support these refugee children but also, the foster families that are taking care of them.
We also provide psychosocial support through recreational activities but also, through individual sessions.
While learning more about our response, listening to adolescent girls and visiting our child friendly spaces, I have been impressed by our staff: their dedication, the respect in which they treat vulnerable refugees and the bond they have made with these boys and girls is remarkable. But above all, I have been impressed by the number of female humanitarian workers working in this response.
Often women are underrepresented in this sector, especially in management positions. However, in the office, which is responsible for the refugee response, I have been impressed by the number of females in positions of power, from project coordinators, to advisers or case managers.
So I wanted to pay tribute to all female humanitarian workers, both local and international, who decide to leave everything behind and give their lives for those who are most vulnerable.
Please meet three talented, strong and committed female humanitarian workers:
Vivan Vianney - Data Coordinator
Why did you become a humanitarian worker?
I have been working with refugees since 1997 and I have seen how they have suffered, women delivering babies on their way to seeking refuge, and I knew I wanted to help them. I used to work for UNHCR but what I like with Plan International is that I am more in touch with children and I feel I am able to help them more.
What motivates you?
I started as a case manager, working in the registration of children and finding them safe care arrangements in camps. After four months, I was promoted to Data Collector and that gave me the motivation to keep on working hard.
What motivates me is keeping children safe, finding their families if they have been separated while fleeing.
What would be your message to the international humanitarian community?
To increase support to refugees and treat all refugees equally in terms of treatment and attention from the international community.
Maria Polepole - ECHO Project Coordinator
Why did you become a humanitarian worker?
The first time I decided to be a humanitarian worker, it was out of curiosity: it was last year when the Burundi refugee crisis happened. I had never seen a crisis before in Tanzania, and I saw in the media women, children running away and I thought, maybe I could do something.
What motivates you?
The appreciation you see when you work with refugees. In humanitarian settings you get to see the result of your work and the connection between humanitarian agencies and workers, working much closer together than in the development sector.
What would be your message for the wider humanitarian community?
We shouldn’t take for granted the peace and comfort that we have.
Naima Chohan - Child Protection in Emergencies Specialist (Psychosocial support)
Why did you become a humanitarian worker?
I finished my studies as a clinical psychologist and it was the same year of the Pakistani earthquake in 2005. I was part of a team that went to support survivors and it sparked my interested.
What is the most challenging aspect of this job?
I just realised what is the most challenging part now that I am here in Kibondo: to see the huge difference there is between funding for some refugees as opposed to others. I was working with Syrian refugees in Jordan and there were cafes, computer classes but in the Burundian camps, children don’t even have shoes or clothes.
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