Mahama (Rwanda) : a young Burundian refugee dies accidentally

The young man suffered from mental disorders. He was studying in a school reserved for people living with disabilities.

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

Jamali Ndayikengurukiye lived with his family in village 5, in the Mahama I zone (community 7, gate 4/a).

He was supported by World Vision to follow professional courses in a school for people with disabilities (Gatunda School) located in the Nyagatare district in eastern Rwanda.

The bad news reached his family on Thursday evening.

“He apparently fell while he was going to draw water from a tank. He had internal bleeding in the head. He was quickly taken to the hospital but could not have the chance to survive,” we learned from his mother who is settled in the Mahama camp.

On Friday, his family went to the scene of the tragedy. His family, destitute, is asking for assistance for all funeral expenses including the repatriation of the body from the Nyagatare hospital.

Sources on site say that humanitarians including World Vision had not yet confirmed their support until on Friday. “That is why his mother and two other people who accompanied her were not taken care of,” attests a relative of the deceased.

In all, nearly 500 young people who suffer from mental or physical disabilities are supported in various vocational schools by World Vision and Impact for Hope, two NGO partners of the UNHCR, the UN agency in charge of refugees.

Mahama hosts more than 63,000 refugees including more than 40,000 Burundians.

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New housing under construction for new Congolese refugees in Mahama, November 2024 (SOS Médias Burundi)