Those who are taking shelter in the Nyarugusu refugee camp in Tanzania are celebrating World Refugee Day with drums, laughter and fun amid grave concerns and worries.
United Nations have set aside the day as World Refugee Day to recognize plights of millions of people who were uprooted from their own countries.
Nyarugusu refugee camp houses hundreds of thousands of Burundians.
There are three major refugee camps in Tanzania – Nyarugusu, Nduta and Kogama. Refugees have regularly complained about poor facilities here like not having enough to eat and there are shortage of school materials.
One of the refugees said they are not sure whether the school certificates obtained here would ever be recognized in schools in their home country.
A 32-year-old refugee, Moso Molecha, said the camp is like a prison to them and they are not allowed to go outside the camp.
Molecha fled from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) about fifteen years ago and has been living in a makeshift with a dream to be returning back to his own country. He seems angry due to poor facility in the camp and finding no way to return as conflict in DRC is still ongoing.
Another refugee Ilakoze Abel said, “In Burundi, I had the freedom to do anything to earn a living utilizing my own strength, but in here, we are not even permitted to leave the camp or work in the country.”