In August 2016 I visited Gihembe Congolese Refugee Camp in Rwanda. Through talking with the people in the camp I realized how difficult the life of refugees is, not only for being basic in material terms, but because they are deprived and isolated from the world.

There are more than 72,000 people living in five Congolese Refugee Camps in Rwanda. They depend financially on the UNHCR to cover their basic needs of food and clothes. Children get basic education. After that, the only thing refugees can do is to wait. Their future is entirely in the hands of others. They hope that the conflict in DRC will be solved one day or that they may soon be able to go to a place where they could fulfill their potential as human beings - beyond just surviving. But neither of those solutions is happening soon enough. Some of them have been born refugees and twenty years later they still are. The first Congolese Camp in Rwanda was established in 1997.

Whilst taking the bus back to Kigali, a conversation with Celestin Ngaruyinka, the founder of the Rwandan NGO Right Culture and the person who had introduced me to Gihembe Camp, inspired the idea of opening a library in one of the camps. If the refugees cannot go out to the world, the world could get into them through books. The camp that offers the best conditions to open the library is Nyabiheke (established in 2005; 14,112 inhabitants). The president and people in the camp fully support the idea.

We have collected around 430 books thanks to the generosity of many people. Now we need help to send the books to Rwanda and have the necessary equipment to open the library (bookshelves, desk, chairs). Right Culture will take the books to the camp and help the refugees to set up the library.

If you believe in this project and would like to make a donation to support us, this would be very gratefully received. Your contribution (no amount too small!) will lift the spirit of thousands of people.

Thank you for your help.