“When I received help from RefugePoint in terms of protection and resettlement, I was optimistic that my child would live. I used to compare my child to the dead. But when I received news of resettlement, I was hopeful she would live. This brought me joy,” shared Beatrice when we visited her home in Nairobi.
For many years, Beatrice struggled to find treatment and medication for her eldest child, Maria*, who had suffered a spinal injury during an attack in 2014 by the M23 rebels in their home in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Due to the insecurity, Beatrice decided to flee their home together with her children. The family fled to Uganda, where, luckily, they were reunited with her husband, who had fled earlier.
“Life was hard, very hard: a life without means to get food, nowhere to sleep. We used to sleep on the floor in a church. It’s a life that no one would wish for, a life that makes you want to die,” shared Beatrice. “We had a sick child but could not afford medication as it was very expensive. We were told the money to purchase the medication could be used to cater to about 100 refugees. It was difficult for my child to get help. I was a person full of sorrow and could not even sleep. I used to stay alone and avoid people since they ridiculed me. But when I met RefugePoint in 2019, my life started to change. I got home and became happy knowing that my child would be assisted. She will be cured,” shared Beatrice.
With RefugePoint’s assistance, Beatrice and her family were relocated to their own home and received food, education, and rent support. Maria* was also referred for medical review and treatment at Kenyatta National Hospital. To support her family to attain self-reliance, Beatrice was referred to the Livelihoods program, where she learned business skills and received a business grant, which she used to start a business selling second-hand clothes and shoes. Though she struggled with chronic illness, Beatrice was determined to provide for her family,” shared Carol Muli, Beatrice’s former RefugePoint case manager.
In 2021, Beatrice and her family were referred for resettlement as a durable solution and on medical grounds to get medical treatment for herself and Maria. “I was on a bus going to seek medication for my child when I received the call that I would be resettled. I was very happy! I can’t even explain that kind of happiness. I alighted the bus and started thanking God. I was someone who had been ridiculed. I had lost hope. The kind of joy and shock I had cannot be explained. I went to church to thank God before I could even tell my husband. I thanked God and asked Him to remember RefugePoint and give them more sponsors,” shared Beatrice.
“I will be resettling in America and expect to work there so that other refugees can receive help. I will do any kind of job if I have the strength, even if it’s volunteering at work so that other refugees like me can be helped. I think my life will be okay. I will have security there [in America]. And also, my child will get the medication she needs, and she’ll be okay. And if my child is treated, my life will be better. My other children feel good. They know their life is about to change. They know their life will be different when they get to America. They have been through hardships, and they have suffered. They know when they get resettled, their lives will change,” shared Beatrice.
Beatrice hopes her children will go to school and have a sense of belonging. “My expectation is just a peaceful life, full of happiness, a good life,” Beatrice shared.
“I will miss my case worker, Muli. Because she has been more of a parent to me. When my stress was up, she used to calm me down. I will miss other RefugePoint officers like Madam Clotilda and James, who used to counsel me, and Julia and Ismael. I will miss my doctors who used to give me my medication. I will miss many RefugePoint officers because I love them. So many RefugePoint officers were like family to me. There’s one thing in my heart that I wish for in the future: that RefugePoint may get many sponsors. It’s something I will carry in my heart. God willing, I can be a sponsor too! It’s possible.”
Today, Beatrice and her family are rebuilding their lives in America, where they hope for a successful life.
*Name changed for protection