LWF brings vital relief to overcrowded camp
Unrest in the Burundi capital, Bujumbura, has forced many people to flee to neighboring Tanzania. The youth militia of the ruling party has been abducting opponents or threatening families that do not vote for the party.
With up to 3000 new arrivals in western Tanzania every day, the refugee camps are overcrowded. In the Nyarugusu camp in Tanzania, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and associate program Tanganyika Christian Refugee Service are providing refugees with core relief goods, such as kitchen sets, buckets, jerry cans and shelter.
Photos: Aaron Tate (CWS)
21 July, 2015
The situation in Nyarugusu is dire. The camp was designed for 50,000 people but now houses 127,000.
Girls play on swings in the camp. Many of the refugees are children.
A TCRS emergency team officer helps a young child. The number of refugees from Burundi is expected to rise to half a million if the political situation does not change.
People queue to get fill jerry cans and buckets with clean water. Although LWF/TCRS has set up water tanks, it remains a challenge to provide enough drinking water for the rising number of refugees
A boy salts peanuts to sell in an effort to supplement his income.
Nyarugusu camp is crowded, with residents forced to use inadequate shelter materials to create makeshift accommodation. Every day, the camp population grows, sometimes by more than 1000 new arrivals.
Scores of people live in communal tents that each accommodate up to 230 people. Outside, the refugees endure long waits for a jerry can of clean water.
The LWF and associate LWF program TCRS are distributing much-needed household goods, such as plastic buckets, baby blankets and clothing.
Children take time out from school and household duties to play football on a dusty pitch.
