Visiting the Refugee Camp

Last week, Kevin went to visit the Maratane refugee 'camp' 20 kilometers outside of town. You can see it pretty much looks like a village, with the exception being that there is not much growing. The soil out there is pretty bad, which is probably why the camp is there, although it is said originally it was a leper village. Many of the refugees come from DR Congo and other war-torn central african countries and have no hope of ever going anywhere else, let alone home. They are allowed to leave the camp and look for work (walk 20 km to town!), but even the locals can't find work here. Most don't speak Portuguese at all, and that makes moving to a different area impossible. They do receive a stipend from the government, which allows them to survive although this is being cut and next year they will receive nothing. How they will survive, they do not know. They live on next to nothing now and will soon have less. If you can imagine, no form of income, dependant on outside charity for all--all your food, shelter, materials to build your 'house' (plastic/bamboo/maybe tiun roof). You live in a three room house most likelysmaller than your one car garage. You have two chairs (made out of sticks), sleep on the dirt floor on a bamboo mat---with the five other members of your family. Kevin was moved not by the poverty as he sees it often on his village visits, but by the strength adn faith of these people.

There are groups of Christians within the camp, and Kevin hopes to train one of the young men who speaks Portugues, Swahili and French to teach the TEE classes there. There are many small churches as well, and Gods work is being done.

It was sad, though, to see these people who are "stuck". They can't go back and they can't go forward. What will life be like for their children? We can only hope that somehow they will be able to integrate eventually, or that the situation in their home country improves enough so they can return. But return to what? Therein lies the reality of being a refugee.



BTW, If you ever thought the United Nations High Commision for Refugees and groups like CARE, Compassion and other NGO's are useless and unneeded...pray for them all, they are still overwelmed with needs and providing nessecary helpto those in need.