VOA教育报道2023--Funding Cuts Threaten Refugee’s Children Education in Rwanda

Funding Cuts Threaten Refugee’s Children Education in Rwanda

Cuts to United Nations aid for refugees living in Rwanda are threatening education for children from more than 100,000 families. The families fled conflict in several East African countries. They are spread among five refugee camps in Rwanda.

Burundian refugee Epimaque Nzohoraho spoke¹ about the situation to the Associated Press. He said the leader of his son's school reported that his child should not return to class because the UN refugee agency had stopped paying for the education.

Nzohoraho said he does not know how much it costs to attend the school. But, he said, he had hoped education would save his son's future.

Last weekend, the UN High Commissioner² for Refugees, UNHCR, announced budget cuts for food, education, shelter and health care. The agency acted as hopes disappear to meet the $90.5 million in aid donations.

UNHCR spokesperson Lilly Carlisle said that only $33 million had arrived by October. "The agency cannot manage to meet the needs of the refugees," she said.

Rwanda is home to a little more than 134,500 refugees. About 62 percent of them came from neighboring Congo. About 37 percent came from Burundi. Less than one percent are from other countries, says the country's emergency management ministry³.

Among those affected⁴ are 553 refugee schoolchildren who were expecting to go to boarding schools this year. The budget shortfall will not permit their attendance. The UNCHR is already supporting 750 students in boarding schools, Carlisle said. The school fees for boarding schools in Rwanda is $80 each school term.

Budget problems have also affected food assistance, which has dropped from $5 to $3 per refugee monthly since last year.

Chantal Mukabirori is a Burundian refugee living in eastern Rwanda's Mahama camp. She says with reduced food aid, her four children are going hungry and refusing to go to school.

"Do you expect me to send children to school when I know there is no food?" she asked.

Carlisle is urging refugees "to look for employment to support their families," but some say this is hard to do as a refugee.

Solange Uwamahoro fled violence in Burundi in 2015 after an attempted government overthrow⁵. She says going back to the same country where her husband was killed may be her only choice.

"I have no other option now. I could die of hunger ... it's very hard to get a job as a refugee," Uwamahoro told the AP.

Phillipe Babinshuti is secretary of Rwanda's emergency management ministry. He says the refugees in Rwanda should not be forgotten even with the increasing number of global conflicts.

The aid reduction effect on education is likely to lower school enrollment⁷. Data from UNHCR in 2022 showed that 1.1 million of 2.2 million refugee children in the East, Horn of Africa and Great Lakes area were out of school.

Words in This Story

manage — v. to have control of

boarding school — n. a school where students can live during the school term

option — n. the opportunity or ability to choose something or to choose between two or more things

 

enroll⁶ — v. to become a member or participant

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

3 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

6 enroll   

v.招收；登记；入学；参军；成为会员（英)enrol

参考例句：

• I should like to enroll all my children in the swimming class.我愿意让我的孩子们都参加游泳班。
• They enroll him as a member of the club.他们吸收他为俱乐部会员。

7 enrollment   

n.注册或登记的人数；登记

参考例句：

• You will be given a reading list at enrollment.注册时你会收到一份阅读书目。
• I just got the enrollment notice from Fudan University.我刚刚接到复旦大学的入学通知书。