By Tolossa Asrat – KANERE Volunteer Writer, September 2021
COMMUNITY TALKING POINTS: Will the camp closure possibly affect you and your family?
No: To be honest, I think I am not the one affected. I feel it is the time to go. There is no benefit of staying at Kakuma Refugee Camp.
– Baluu Wol from South Sudan, Journalist
Yes: I think this is not the right time to send us back where we fled from.
– Solomon Hailu, from Ethiopia, Incentive staff
Yes: Lots of things will be affected. I don’t have much memory of my country because we grew up and studied in Kenya. If we are going back to our country, we will have nothing to go back to and two of my siblings are still in school.
– Lizala Alfonzi Mare from Congo, Actress and Producer
Yes: My biggest worry is as you know my country is not safe at this time and I fear for the life of our family. We have been living in Kakuma Refugee Camp for the past 13 years and I am expecting to resettle to a third country. As a family we worry because we feel that we might lose this resettlement opportunity.
– Ahmed Bari from Somalia, Freelancer
Yes: Kakuma has been our home for almost three decades for all, including people from your country. It will have a devastating consequence for everyone.
– Deng Chan from South Sudan, Nurse
Yes: The effect will be negative. For big families and people who stayed more than two decades like me, I think the announcement is heartbreaking. All my children were born here, where will they go as they don’t have any attachment with Ethiopia?
– Leta Ebbessa from Ethiopia, Nurse
Yes: It is really scary and the only thing we are going to do is just pray.
– Jean Hakizimana from Burundi, Business owner
Yes: The announcement of camp closure has brought a lot of hopelessness in my personal life and family. I had a great hope of getting help from UNHCR but unfortunately, I don’t know what to do.
– Rita Brown from Uganda,Yoga Instructor
Yes: I guess the effect will be very hard on all of us, not only on my family but also on the hosts living around the camp.
– Achin Namazzi from Uganda, Primary teacher
Yes: I think the negative effect on refugees and their families will be heavier than the host and the NGO staff.
– Evan Nura , Incentive staff
Yes: The decisions to close Kakuma Refugee Camp will have a lot of negative effects and implications on all of us. Maybe we can migrate to Uganda.
– BarakiAlemfrom Eritrean, Social worker