OUR HOME

Our Home: 

A Refugee's Reflection on World Refugee Day 2024

On this poignant occasion of World Refugee Day 2024, as the world pauses to reflect on the journeys, struggles, and resilience of millions forced to flee their homes, I find myself contemplating the meaning of "home." As a refugee, the concept of home has taken on a kaleidoscope of meanings—nostalgia for what once was, longing for what might never be, and the bittersweet reality of the present. Today, I invite you into my world as I share my reflections on "Our Home."

For many of us, home was not just a place; it was a feeling—a sense of belonging, security, and comfort. It was the laughter of loved ones, the familiar aroma of home-cooked meals, and the warmth of shared moments. However, circumstances beyond our control uprooted us, pushing us into a world of uncertainty and fear. The journey to safety was treacherous, marked by loss, resilience, and hope. Each step taken was a step towards an unknown destination—a new beginning, a fresh chapter, a chance at life.

As refugees, we have faced immense challenges—language barriers, cultural differences, and the harsh realities of displacement. Yet, in the midst of adversity, we discovered the power of resilience and solidarity. In crowded refugee camps and unfamiliar lands, we found solace in the kindness of strangers, the support of fellow refugees, and the unwavering hope for a better tomorrow. Our shared experiences have woven a tapestry of unity, bridging divides and celebrating diversity. Together, we have turned makeshift shelters into homes, barren lands into vibrant communities, and shattered dreams into resilient visions of the future.

The process of rebuilding our lives in a new place has been arduous yet transformative. From learning a new language to adapting to unfamiliar customs, each day presented a new set of challenges. However, through perseverance and determination, we have embraced our new surroundings with open hearts and open minds. We have contributed our skills, talents, and stories to enrich the fabric of society, proving that resilience knows no borders and compassion transcends differences. Our journey from displacement to integration is a testament to the human spirit's capacity to overcome adversity and thrive in the face of uncertainty.

Hope for the Future!

Thinking widely

Imagine having to leave your home, your family, and your work because of a conflict that you have nothing to do with. That’s what happened to Joshua Chiamba, the founder of RUDEC, a nonprofit that helps rural communities in Cameroon. Joshua is a refugee in Nigeria, where he faces many challenges and risks. He needs our solidarity and assistance to survive and keep his dream alive. You can show him that he is not alone by donating to his fundraiser here and telling others about his plight. #SupportJoshua #RUDEC #RefugeesWelcome

THE UNTOLD TRUTH

 Did you know that Nigeria hosts over 78,000 refugees from Cameroon, who fled violence and persecution in their country? One of them is Joshua Chiamba, the founder of RUDEC, a nonprofit that empowers rural communities in Cameroon. Joshua is a brave and compassionate leader who has helped thousands of people through his projects. But he had to leave everything behind and start a new life in a strange land. He needs our help to rebuild his life and resume his work. You can make a difference by donating to his fundraiser here and spreading the word about his situation. #SupportJoshua #RUDEC #RefugeesWelcome.

Struggling to surface

Greetings to all readers of our blog!!! I want to apologize on behalf of all our team. This is because we have stayed for a long time without any updates. From our last information to you all we have faced challenges because of the war in our English parts of Cameroon. We could not update you because of the risk of being tracked. 

From 2018 till now that is the end of 2023, it has been a horrible period because of the fighting between the military and the Pro-independent fighters  Each side killing the other without mercy. This caused us to be trapped in the war as each suspects you may be taking sides. You will be at risk. This caused us at RUDEC to reduce our activities and finally, our founder had to kick off a safety mission in June 2023 and finally arrived in Nigeria in July.

We are raising funds to support our founder of is trap at cross roads  at  Support Joshua Escape for is life and safe more people in the future

News about RUDEC Cameroon

Dear Readers,

We wish to apologize on the behalf of the children and staff of RUDEC for not writing any updates for a long time now!!

RUDEC Cameroon has its headquarters in the town of Belo-Cameroon. We work from there through the 3 subdivisions of Boyo division and to other parts of English parts of NorthWest and SouthWest regions of Cameroon. Since 2016, we have had an uprising from the two regions of English Cameroon because of unfair treatment by the government of Cameroon. The people protested and in an attempt by the government military to crush the protest, some people were killed. This continued until 2018 when the local people are otherwise known as the secessionist pick up local arms to protect their people and properties. This has escalated into a gorilla warfare.

We all ran into bushes to hide. The children under RUDEC who lived with their families ran too and some travel out of the region to have a safe place to stay. The good news is that so far we have NOT lost any of our children in this war so far. We did reach out to very few and gave them food but its not easy to reach out to many who are displaced within these two regions. This is because the military does not make a difference between those who had beneficiaries and has to provide them help. Shooting is rampant and many had been killed by stray bullets and target shooting.

During this situation, we were not able to send out messages except by spontaneous messages by phone but often electricity and internet were cut off.

Right now the situation is still ongoing and I wish to ask you all reading to pray for us in this part of Cameroon because we, maybe wipe out from the earth.

New born child of RUDEC

Simple ladies

RUDEC has give birth to a new born baby call ibiimu which means a water well in our dialect. This means that when we are thirsty to drink water and we go to a well we need to put efforts to pull out water. Looking at what we had done in the past was more charity. Now we want to see change comes from within. So our beneficiaries has to take initiatives and change their present situation. http://rudec.org/project/ibiimu-program/

Happy Onam Festival from Kerala-India

 Greetings from the coast of India. 

 We had the Onam festival. Onam is an annual Hindu festival with origins in the state of Kerala in India. It falls in the Malayalam calendar month of Chingam, which in Gregorian calendar overlaps with August–September. The festival commemorates the Mahabali, Vamana (Vishnu avatar), Kashyapa and Parashurama-related mythologies of Hinduism (Wiki) 

This merged us with the people and culture. We ate food on the traditional leafs.

We have had many interesting discussion about our venture profiles. We have define our problems, beneficiary profile, solutions and personal profile .



We also had our two days holidays and would be moving to the next level of the training this week. We shall be learning and doing practical fundraising for our social venture, we will be learning to use media to reach our beneficiaries and how to prepare at each stage.

 

I wish to thank you all for giving me this opportunity. I have got a good learning and now my passion increases every day as i look at my projects and new ideas develop me here to help the marginalized that i am also part of them.