Ernest Bugumba was born in Uvira, South Kiivu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 1988 Ernest survived only on rain water as he walked for a week to a refugee camp after he escaped a massacre in Makabola, Uvira. He completed his education in the Republic of South Africa, gaining a diploma in Information Technology. He believes in positive thinking and the power of encouraging and inspiring youths.
Today he is the founder and executive secretary of Assembly of Good News for all Nations Youth (AGNY) which is a refugee organisation for children and youths in Republic of South Africa. The organisation aims to educate refugee children from a variety of African countries to empower and prepare them for the future.
Ernest plans to expand the organisation by setting up a computer centre for refugee children and youth to help with their training and education. He also plans to work with RESPECT in a cultural letter exchange with the students. This gives them the opportunity to exchange stories and make friends, giving them hope for a better future.
He also wants to help refugees who are disabled, affected by HIV/AIDS and living with the effects of xenophobic attacks despite the challenges of not having enough resources like computers, study materials or finance.
The Problem
Many refugees arrive in Uganda with little or no spoken English. The problem this poses for them could be as simple as not being able to ask for a glass of water or as complex as not being able to testify at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), where the people responsible for wars and genocide are brought to justice. It makes is difficult for people to find work or a place to live and prevents them from building secure lives for themselves and their families.
Also, many refugees want to continue their education which may have been interrupted by war or use the degrees they already have from their country of origin. Many refugees need an opportunity to build a future for themselves.
Where RESPECT comes in
The Refugee Law Project (RLP) is part of the RESPECT University in Uganda. The program provides free adult literacy programs in various African countries, allowing refugees greater freedom to communicate effectively in English thereby increasing their possibilities for the future.
It was started in order to help people tell their stories to (UNHCR) to bring war crimes to justice, however, it offers many more opportunities than that. For those who are illiterate, they can start with Basic Literacy, or Functional Adult Literacy for those who don’t speak English or even Higher Education Services to help where people need to learn English to go to college.
Through RESPECT volunteer tutors provide the opportunities for this education. One Congolese refugee student, Pierre Mulowe, had his medical training interrupted by the war. He was able to continue his education through distance learning at RLP with a tutor based in Canada.
RESPECT coordinators such as Joan McDonald in Kampala, Uganda, download course material and distribute it and upload completed assignments back to the tutors.
For more information on Joan McDonald, see below.
Further Information
More informaton can be found on our website.
To read more on this story visit our ezine.
Helping People Help Themselves
Learning and education acts as a starting point for people to be able to help themselves out of poverty, in turn leading to a more peaceful society through increased prosperity. Jenkins Macedo held a book drive to supply educational materials, books and used computers to give people access to the education they want.
Mutual Inspiration
Linda St. Germain, a student at Worcester State College, United States, involved the student council in the book drive, taking the opportunity to benefit not only the African students but the students of her own college.
Another school to get involved was the Fanning Learning Center in Worcester: an alternative to mainstream school for students with difficult home lives. Theresa Venuti, a teacher at Fanning, encouraged her students to each bring books from home. The feeling of helping other people helped the students at Fanning to believe they can get over their fears and have hope in their own futures. The hope is that the students at Fanning will choose careers human service as a result of the first step taken here.
Further Information
For more information on the book drive click here.
RESPECT International website click here.
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Refugees in Uganda
Uganda is a haven for refugees from the surrounding countries who are escaping wars in Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burindi, Eritrea and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Kampala’s Urban Refugees
The word refugee often conjures up images of rural refugee camps however the city of Kampala has some 30,000 refugees living there. Some have moved from the rural camps whilst others go directly there from their country of origin. They are drawn there by the promise of better living standards and job opportunities but the reality of living as an urban refugee does not always offer descent living standards.
It is difficult for refugees to find permanent jobs either because they do not have a permit, they do not speak english or because they are discriminated against as foreigners. Without work they cannot afford medical care, or education and find it difficult to improve their lives and the lives of their families.
Our Work in Kampala
Since 2007 Joan McDonald has been working with RESPECT International as a field coordinator. She works to coordinate RESPECT university courses to refugee students in Kampala, communicating with tutors, downloading lessons and uploading completed assignments.
Refugee Law Project
Putting her certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language to good use Joan works with the Refugee Law Project: a Ugandan organisation whose aim is to protect and promote the human rights of refugees through Legal Aid and councelling, research and advocacy and education and training.
Learning English is a tool that people can use to improve their lives and the lives of their families. For those who cannot find work and therefore can’t afford the school fees the Refugee Law Project free adult literacy classes.
Further Information
For more information on Joan McDonald please click here.
To visit our website please click RESPECT International.
Or to visit the Refugee Law Project website click here.
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