A REFUGEES JOURNEY OF INSECURITIES IN AN ASYLUM COUNTRY .

A refugees life is full of downs in an asylum country , a refugee lives to survive not to enjoy the privileges of life . Refugees face life threatening journeys to over come danger not knowing that another chapter of struggles awaits them . We dream with limits , our hopes are shuttered and buried . We learn surviving with the little we get , life becomes a challenge with unanswered questions . Our hearts pain as parents as we ask our selves why? Begining from zero as if we have never owned our own , I am writing this story out of my own expirence as a refugee living in Kampala , Uganda .

A sense of belonging builds a better mind set , once one feels wanted or accepted the rest becomes easy , but in a situation where by one is refered to as an intruder builds fear and doubts , one is paid less just because he /she is not one of them , we are called names that they feel matches us , we are over worked with claims that we are stronger , some landlords make it clear that they don't rent out their houses to Congolese and sudanese , when it is presidential elections we live in fear the oppositions supporters accuse us of secretly voting , some even claim that buses from the settlements were filled up with Congolese who traveled purposely to vote , according to the rules any one with a refugee status is not allowed to vote if we can not vote our community leaders were do we get access to elect the president ? Of recent a certain group was debating that Congolese should go back to their country it is even on TikTok . https://vm.tiktok.com/ZSCB2uYWb/ This post is shared via TikTok Lite. Download TikTok Lite to enjoy more posts: https://www.tiktok.com/tiktoklite we are not here out of love instead we are here to survive because it was a matter of life and death . We are limited to essential services , for instance the government hospitals are open for refugees but we rarely get medication , they will ever claim that the medicine is finished when it is our turn , seeing a doctor is a matter of connection which requires to drop something before one is considered if not one will be attended later on when almost everyone is done or be asked to came back the next day .

Means of survival becomes a challenge, securing a job is among the hardest things in Kampala , Uganda . If the citizens are struggling with jobs how about us the refugees ? Many refugee are trapped in poverty struggling to afford even the most basic necessities mainly the single mothers struggle with little or no hope we need to educate our children , feed them , pay rent and all the responsibilities at large . We don't have a specific job , we try all that can help out , most try Landry jobs from home to home cleaning houses , cleaning schools , which can not cover the basic needs because it is considered cheap labour , we work at their suggested prices offers to survive .

Child trafficking has been a problem in this country , children are stolen and killed for ritual purposes . My daughter survived two attempts I even have the police reports with me , the first attempt was through a man who used to polish nails , thank God I was coming and we meet on the way , he called her and told her that your mother is calling you , secondly my helper who was staying with my children as I go to hunt , stayed with me for a period of 9 month then she told me that her mother was sick and she had to attend her , after I learnt that she was working in another house within an area I did not inform the school because I didn't find it necessary knowing that I will pick my daughter , she reached the school to pick her and the gate was not open yet , so she excused her self to pick a phone call , I also arrived and the gate man asked why the two of you when I turned around she had left , I did not take it serious thinking that maybe someone from her new working place was learning in that school , then she reports the next day that's when the gate man says No regarding to what I shared with him , she tried convincing him that I am the one who sent her , I was scared reported to the police she called me asking me to forgive her that someone sent her promising to pay her and that some one happened to be the man who used to polish nails .

Refugees living in Kampala , Uganda have limited access to education , because of financial stability the government schools which are some how affordable are over crowded some even fail to raise the required amount and requirements , most Congolese have many children , one assumes that your children are learning but they fail because of the crowd , private schools are not our target market simply because we fail to afford , then how will an adult think of going back to school when the young ones are struggling ,I am the best example if it wasn't for my children tuition I would have degrees because I am intrested and limited at the same time . So not learning is a strong factor which traps the refugee community in the cycle of poverty .

Affordable medication becomes a challenge our heath is in Gods mercy , we rarely go for checkups unless one is down , not because we are lazy or do not want but because we can not afford , we survive with pharmacy medications by narrating how one feels . Affordable houses for rent is also another challenge , houses exist but considered expensive to us single mothers refugee women balancing our basic needs becomes a challenge ,.

Another issue which eats me up is the police system , some of us stopped reporting insecurities , reason being to report a case one has to aquire a local council letter with a stamp (5000shillings) to proceed to the police station then make a statement Incase that person is to be caught one has to pay transport costs , and Incase one is hurt he/ she is given a medical form to confirm from selected police medical facilities which charge some fee to attend one . So imagine in a situation where by one does not have or happen to have the little for the children to survive , will one choose to report or to attend to ones children needs ? I have some forms with me which I failed to take for examining simply because I did not have , I reported , I was given reference number but I failed to fill the forms to be attended because one is attended after confirming from a doctor . So Incase of anything comes up that requires police help , I check my pockets before thinking of reporting if I do not have a minimum of 30000 shillings I let go , and I am not the only one

SOLUTIONS .

Economic opportunities should be open for refugees as well , so it can make life easy for refugees to work and support their families .

Social inclusion programs are vital to help crush barriers of discrimination , because refugees are human like others .

Education should be considered as a fundamental right , refugees children should have access to learn in better schools to break the cycle of poverty , we also want our children to carry out professional courses like others , we dream and have hopes just like any other humanbeing . Adults should be grunted the chance to learn or continue .

All in all , I humbly call upon all humanitarian organisations , individual , government to work together to smoothened the hardships for refugees living in Kampala , Uganda . Our status is not by choice but rather a way to live and escape danger our community consists of young people with hopes to learn and become better , with adults as well who are striving to re construct their lives .