NECH Responds To Refugee Educational Needs
RESPECT International recently interviewed Bilombele Asukulu, coordinator for the Nyarugusu Refugee Camp in Tanzania and representative for the New Educational Center for Hope (NECH) about the work being done by the center in its educational outreach to the refugees.
RESPECT: Thank you, Bilombele Asukulu, for taking the time to interview with RESPECT. The New Educational Center for Hope (NECH) is an excellent educational resource that was established in 2003 by local refugees in Tanzania. Can you tell us more about how this facility came about, and what is its current status?
ASUKULU: NECH (New Educational Center For Hope) was formerly known as the New English Center for Hope. Since 2006 the name has changed to meet the needs of most people in the Nyarugusu Refugee Camp. Established in July 2003, NECH wanted to respond to the educational needs of refugees, which day and night, remained a dream instead of being a reality.
NECH believes that education is a positive contribution towards peace building. Through education provided by NECH members, our students who repatriate continue to be a positive image for future Congolese generations by their contributions in the society.
In the Nyarugusu Camp, secondary school and vocational trainings were not under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) financial scheme. Meanwhile, people needed education. Therefore, parents opened what were known as Centres des encadrement where those who had no hope for the future had to be trained. Teachers received one kilo of sugar, pants, and soap as incentives. Some of them got tired and lost hope. Students also abandoned their classes, as they were not in a position to endure the wind of refugee life. The need to have better education increased in 1999 but the financial capacity to build it was not there.
It wasn't until 2003, when NECH was opened, that those who did not have formal education decided to join. Female students also found it to be an opportunity for self-employment in the future. Thus, the dream started to become a reality. Our first students found scholarship opportunities in 2004. Some of them have graduated and are employed in our camp and in DRC (The Democratic Republic of Congo). Despair has turned into hope and possibility.
Currently, NECH has several programs in our camp:
- EVENING CLASSES: Computer Learning, English, Carpentry, Agriculture and Livestock Breeding.
- SEMINARS: Peace Education, HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns.
- EDUCATIONAL SPONSORSHIP: Letter Exchange Program, higher learning systems (established through RESPECT University coordination), HIV/AIDS orphaned children care, and secondary school sponsorship. Children orphaned by the HIV/AIDS epidemic can go to school through our efforts.
- ASSISTANCE TO UNMARRIED ADOLESCENT MOTHERS: Young mothers are trained and given small loans for self-reliance.
It is challenging work!
RESPECT: How have your previous personal and professional experiences helped you in coordinating the Nyarugusu refugee camp and in running NECH?
ASUKULU: My previous personal experience has really helped a great deal. First of all, as a refugee I felt the need to reverse the growing poverty, ignorance and disease among the youth of our camp. At first glance it was hard to believe that it could be possible to reverse the situation, but change has transpired throughout the years. Friends and benefactors have helped. We do not have a special budget or special donors for our programs, but we are mindful of our current situation in a refugee camp and we abide by it. We effectively use what we have for the benefit of others. We share the burden of being refugees and we accept it just like that. It has happened. But we need to focus ahead.
Secondly, as a RESPECT Coordinator, I have been exposed to the outside world through RESPECT. The organization has opened doors. This is a very positive experience. Letter exchange coordination with non-refugee students in Togo, in France, in Canada, etc., was really an insight.
Thirdly, my profession was also a contribution. During that time I was a teacher. Much concerned with education for refugees, I taught English and Science for secondary school. In addition, I taught labour law, international institutions, administration, fiscal law, and organization for high school students taking social work. It was a hard task but finally accomplished.
Lastly, at the university level, my professional skills have been developed in the social sciences. Political science, international relations, diplomacy, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, social research, humanities, and peacemaking and conflict resolution were the main subjects of interest at the university.
RESPECT: What inspired you to become involved in NECH?
ASUKULU: What inspired me was a search for solutions to the conflicts ravaging the Great Lakes region. In Burundi (1993), Rwanda (1994), and in the Congo (1996-1998), the young were recruited as child soldiers with warring parties. Young girls were sexually abused. And HIV spread in all these countries. The drop-out rate was increasing dramatically. Orphans increased and unmarried adolescent motherhood was a common problem among the youth.
Thus I felt the need to do something, because these situations directly contributed to the overall increase in poverty, ignorance, and the spread of diseases. I could not idly sit by while another's house was burning. That was my inspiration. I had to do my part to bring hope to other desperate people. I had to help heal the wounds of war.
RESPECT: As an NGO (non-governmental organization), has it been difficult to maintain the services needed for NECH's continued success?
ASUKULU: It has been really difficult. All of our services need resources for their success. However, these resources always remain scarce.
RESPECT: NECH offers free education for young girls and HIV/AIDS orphans. How has this resource effected their lives?
ASUKULU: NECH has had a great impact on their lives overall. Drop-out cases have decreased. Some of our female students have been able to get higher education and finally have found employment. HIV/AIDS orphaned children can go to school now. Currently we have enrolled 35 of them and we plan to increase the enrollment next year.
RESPECT: How are the classes, seminars, projects, and sports and cultural programs helping students to contribute their skills to the larger community?
ASUKULU: The classes train them in vocational matters, after which they feel born again in the community. Seminars build social consciousness: peace, HIV/AIDS awareness, and tolerance. They can live in the community and let others live as well. Sport helps in building togetherness. By being engaged in sports, past events are a bit forgotten. Trauma and stresses are reduced. The cultural programs, such as the Letter Exchange Programs, help to alleviate isolation. They feel cared for by the outside world.
RESPECT: Parents of students attending the facility take an active role in the educational process. How has this involvement impacted families in the area and the outlook in the refugee camp?
ASUKULU: Parents are very active. NECH has been a leading example and its programs are appreciated by the entire community.
RESPECT: How is NECH's quest for expanded Internet learning access progressing?
ASUKULU: This has been a challenging experience. It is a dream that has not yet become true. We are still struggling to have this funded. But we have not yet succeeded, and the process is ongoing.
RESPECT: What can individuals and groups do to contribute to NECH's success? What things are needed in both the short-term and long-term?
ASUKULU: Individuals or groups needing to contribute are welcomed. We are flexible. NECH is apolitical, non-religious, and non-discriminatory. Whoever needs to can contact me at any time using my e-mail box (see below), by contacting RESPECT International, etc. Currently, a representative office is scheduled to be set up in Australia and another one in the USA for fundraising and contact purposes.
RESPECT: Thank you again for your time in this interview and your devotion to NECH. Is there anything else you believe people should know?
ASUKULU: Thank you. I believe that people help people and change starts with one, however little it might be. Doing something is the first step!
Contact with the NECH can be made through the following:
- Mr. Bilombele Asukulu
- NECH Executive Director
- Nyarugusu Camp
- E3.Cl 11 Pl 09
- C/o World Vision T. C. S
- P.O. Box: 154 Kasulu, Kigoma
- Tanzania
- E-mail: biloasphilibert@yahoo.com