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Fourteen-year-old Echa Nyange yearns for his past every day, even though he has been a refugee at the Lugufu refugee camp in Tanzania for four years. Echa has had time to adjust to his life as a Congolese refugee, but the trauma of war and memories of his missing parents have made it almost impossible for him to accept his circumstances or to imagine a future for himself. Echa's Story Echa came to the Lugufu camp when he was ten years old. Today, he lives with his older brother Saleh in a mud hut they built, like all the camp's residents, with their bare hands. During their frantic flight from rebel troops, the boys were separated from their parents, and they have not seen or spoken to them since. Although Saleh has encouraged Echa to think of the future, he cannot. Echa is trapped in the past, and finds the separation from his mother almost unbearable. Echa has sent many letters to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) asking for news about his parents. Without fail, Echa greets each new truck that arrives at Lugufu packed with new refugees hoping to find his parents or someone who knows their fate. With pleading eyes, he holds up a photo of his mother and father, in case someone recognizes them. But in four long years, he has heard nothing. Echa describes his life as lonely and suffocating. Lugufu's residents are prohibited from settling in Tanzania, so any dreams that residents may have are constrained by the camp's walls. Although they can attend school, there are no jobs available at the camp, where unemployment is a staggering 95 percent. Echa says he feels worthless and devoid of self-pride. He is pessimistic about the future and sees life as one long, tough struggle. What's Next for Echa? Echa and his brother will remain at Lugufu for the duration of the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They cannot gain permanent resident status in Tanzania, and it is too dangerous to go back home. The boys are trapped between two countries. They're also trapped between the past and the future; what lies ahead depends upon the outcome of international efforts to bring peace to their country. Unless there is peace, boys like Echa and Saleh will remain citizens of nowhere. What Can You Do? To find out more about the plight of
refugees worldwide as well as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
and what you can do to help, visit UNHCR, a UN agency that assists over
20 million refugees globally. You can also check out the site of UNHCR's
implementing partner, the International Rescue Committee, a non-governmental
organization that has monitored and assisted refugees worldwide since
1933. You can also visit USA for UNHCR. |
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Death tolls and refugee numbers
are two ways to measure the cost of war, but the true price is often
intangible, measured only by the grief victims experience as a result
of war's violence and destruction.
