KIGALI, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda is committed to supporting refugees in the country to achieve self-reliance, Rwandan minister of disaster management and refugees said Wednesday.
"We have empowered refugees in our country to enroll in several economic development initiatives. Through these initiatives both host and refugee communities will be enabled to enhance self-reliance and improve their common living environment," said Jeanne d'Arc De Bonheur at the celebrations to mark the World Refugee Day at the Nyabiheke refugee camp in Gatsibo district, Eastern Province.
Established in 2005, the Nyabiheke camp is home to over 15,000 refugees and 1,337 asylum seekers mainly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to the ministry of refugee.
Refugees will be self-reliant through the government's efforts under Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF), said the minister.
As a vehicle for the implementation of pledges made at the United Nations leaders' summit in September 2016 in New York, CRRF specifies key elements for a comprehensive response to any large movement of refugees,
According to her, the government of Rwanda is committed to ensuring that all refugees get valid refugee identity cards, 100 percent of refugee students enroll in secondary schools and 50 percent in primary schools get integrated in the national education system, among others.
Helping refugees rebuild their lives requires all concerted efforts from host countries and the UN, said Ahmed Baba Fall, Representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to Rwanda.
"Self-reliance model is vital because it encourages refugees to have hope for a better future. It leads to better outcomes in terms of income, food security and education," he said.
Rwanda currently hosts nearly 153,000 refugees mainly from Burundi and the DRC, statistics of the ministry of refugee showed.
