There is a longstanding partnership between the aid group International Teams and the Waterloo Mennonite Brethren Church, and the connection is having a major impact in Rwanda’s Kiziba refugee camp.
![Waterloo Region residents Laura Velilla (pictured), Alison Fuerwerker, Shelley Donald, Anne Liesemer and Betty Neufeld travelled to Rwanda in July to volunteer at the Kiziba refugee camp. [Submitted]](https://www.observerxtra.com/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/post_livinghere_rwanda.jpg)
Linked to the region by former church member and Elmira native Jennifer Kamari who now lives and works in the impoverished African nation, fundraising efforts and volunteer trips have been taking place for years now. Now, the hard work is really starting to pay off, particularly with the construction of a new library for the camp.
Earlier this summer, six members of the church travelled to Kiziba and Kigali to work with homeless youth and run a business seminar for adults.
Trip leader Alison Feuerwerker says it was a great experience, and now that she’s back home in Waterloo, she is excited to tell people about how important their support has been for the people of Kiziba.
“The big thing for me and I think the rest of the team feels this way as well, is that we wanted people back home to know how much of an impact the library makes in the camp. It’s not just a library, it’s a community centre, it’s a place where people go to learn, it’s a place where things happen and it’s a place that gives hope. Also, I want people to know how much our church has actually been involved in raising the money for that. I hope people are encouraged by that, and I hope that they will continue to raise money because it’s a huge thing.”
The group, consisting of Anne Liesemer of Maryhill, Feuerwerker, Michelle Burkholder, Shelley Donald, Laura Velilla and Betty Neufeld of Waterloo, spent two-and-a-half-weeks, split between Kigali and Kiziba. It was a life-changing experience, said Feuerwerker.
“The thing about going over there is that you get to know the people and you connect with them and they become apart of your life,” said Feuerwerker, who was on her second volunteering trip to Rwanda. “It’s about real people, living real lives. And so the important thing for me now is to figure out a way to share that passion with people back home that have not been there and have not had the opportunity to actually meet with these people face to face.”
Between 20,000-30,000 people live in the Kiziba camp, Feuerwerker said, with only about 2,000 relocated out each year. But with more and more refugees flowing in each month, the population shows no signs of decreasing.
“From what I understand, there are parts of the Eastern DRC (Congo) where Rwandan people were living, many who fled because of the genocide (in 1994),” she said. “Then they had to leave the DRC because of the conditions there, but they were not actually able to come back to Rwanda as citizens, because once they had left, they lost their land and their nationality.”
One of the church’s biggest fundraising
campaigns takes place next month with the
Ride for Refuge in Bloomingdale and Elmira. For more information, visit
www.rideforrefuge.org.
