Nakivale (Uganda) : school dropouts among Burundian refugees reach new heights

School dropouts are reaching a peak at the Nakivale camp among Burundian refugees : 60%, according to teachers for the first term alone. The main cause given is the lack of school fees. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

The most affected are mainly the children of Burundian refugees. Poverty which is in full swing is at the origin of this situation.

“For other communities, they either have income-generating activities or relatives settled in Europe or America and they can easily support the exorbitant school fees here. But for us who have nothing, it is almost normal because instead of paying more than 100,000 Uganda shillings to school for a single young person, I prefer to buy enough to feed my whole family,” says a Burundian refugee, father of a family. The situation becomes even more complicated since almost all school are private.

“The UNHCR, via its partner Finn Church Aid (FCA), only supports less than 40% of the most deprived children, the rest having to fend for themselves. It is in this context that a multitude of private schools were born which unfortunately demand large sums of money for schoolchildren and pupils,” indicates a community leader.

Just before the end of the first term in April, schools sent away children who had not yet paid school fees before exams even began. And most did not return to school because of lack of school fees.

The consequences are numerous and are mainly linked to juvenile delinquency with unwanted pregnancies among young girls aged 13 to 15, the consumption of prohibited drugs and drinks among young boys and even banditry.

These Burundian refugees are asking for assistance from humanitarian organizations.

“We know that Maison Shalom takes good care of refugee children in Rwanda and especially in the Mahama camp, we appeal to Marguerite Barankitse* to also think of us,” they say.

Nakivale currently has more than 140,000 refugees, including more than 33,000 Burundians.

*Marguerite Barankitse: humanitarian activist and founder of Maison Shalom