Every year, we celebrate World Refugee Day by sharing stories from the populations we serve.
This year, AHA was featured in a story in Rwanda's The New Times highlighting the story of Ms. Umutoniwase - a refugee from DR Congo who found hope through one of the programs implemented by AHA.
Refugees flee their homes, families, livelihoods and everything they know in search of safety and protection, which often leads to an extraordinary state of despair. The message of this year’s World Refugee Day is to give every refugee “Hope Away from Home”, to create a world where all refugees are included. This highlights the need to focus on solutions for refugees and the power of inclusion, encouraging all to do more, in order to give refugees more hope and more opportunities while they are away from home.
Thus, stories like Ms. Umutoniwase serve as a great reminder that the goal of backing refugees with opportunities is at the core of the work we do everyday. AHA in Rwanda supports refugees like Ms. Umutoniwase with capacity strengthening exercises throughout the year. For example, in the year 2022, 20 first-time young mothers from Kigeme and 15 from Mugombwa refugee camps, respectively, were trained on hairdressing skills and were given startup kits to support themselves. In addition, 20 first-time young mothers in Kigeme were also trained on tailoring and were given startup kits. AHA works diligently with its partners such as UNHCR and UNFPA to support and equip young mothers with skill-sets they can easily monetize so they can support themselves and become self-sufficient.
Read more on Umutoniwase and her story of triumph here: https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/8383/news/featured/africa-humanitarian-action-29-years-of-hope-away-from-home