Tanzania : refugees denounce the prolonged lack of hygiene kits

SOS Médias Burundi

Kigoma, November 7, 2025 – More than eight months without hygiene kits, consisting mainly of shower soap and laundry detergent : refugees are raising their voices in the face of this worrying situation.

At the Nyarugusu refugee camp, Burundians and Congolese people went to the offices of the UNHCR and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) on Wednesday to voice their grievances. They fear the spread of diseases linked to poor hand hygiene, already observed during this rainy season.

“My child caught dysentery at school, and then infected his siblings at home. At the hospital, I discovered several cases of cholera and other diseases caused by poor hand hygiene,” recounts a Burundian refugee.

Along with their compatriots and Congolese, they are asking the UNHCR and its partner NRC, responsible for hygiene, to resume the distribution of soap, which has been suspended for several months.

At the Nduta camp, refugees express the same concern, as the suspension of assistance occurred at the same time as in Nyarugusu.

When UNHCR staff returned to work after a week’s absence following the post-election protests in Tanzania, they were met on Wednesday with numerous demands, including the resumption of hygiene kit distribution in both camps.

The UNHCR continues to cite budget constraints and is asking refugees, especially Burundians, to register for voluntary return and “find everything they need at home,” which those affected perceive as a coercive measure to force them to return to their country.

Tanzania still hosts more than 110,000 Burundian refugees camped in Nyarugusu and Nduta.