Consolée, a Congolese refugee in Nyabiheke refugee camp. © UNHCR/Eric Didier Karinganire
By Eric Didier Karinganire
After completing secondary school last year, Consolée, 21, has been helping her parents with housework in Nyabiheke refugee camp. She still holds on to her childhood dream – to become a mechanical engineer one day.
“I’ve always loved mechanics,” she says. “As a child, I was fascinated by cars moving – we rarely saw them, and I was curious to understand how they worked, and that curiosity grew as I got older.”
The fourth in a family of eight children was only three years old when her family fled conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), seeking safety and a new life in Rwanda.
Over the years, Consolée’s passion for mechanics deepened, and she knew that studying mechanical engineering was the only way to understand the world of machines.
“Sometimes, you see new car models being released every year – I dream of being part of that one day and contributing to innovations,” she says, adding that hybrid cars are her favorite.
Despite the hardships of growing up as a refugee, she was able to study in a boarding secondary school, thanks to humanitarian assistance.
Her success in Mechanical Engineering in secondary school – scoring well in national exams – has kept her dreaming big.
Consolée is one of many refugee children in Rwanda who are pursuing their education, thanks to financial support from Usine Foundation. In partnership with World Vision International, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) helps cover tuition fees and provides scholastic materials, school uniforms, and support for children with special needs.
Despite good performance in secondary school, many refugees like Consolée face limited options for higher education, as most come from families unable to afford it, leaving them with few opportunities outside the refugee camps.
She notes that some of her refugee friends who completed secondary school in previous years are still unable to pursue higher education, not due to a lack of good grades, but because of the lack of financial support.
Currently, 5.8 percent of refugees in Rwanda are enrolled in higher education (higher education school aged 18-30 years). UNHCR’s Strategy for Refugee Education calls for 15 percent of refugees to gain access to higher education by 2030 globally.
While Rwandan students have access to government study loans for higher education, refugees are not eligible. They only have limited access to scholarships, such as those from DAFI and other partners like the MasterCard Foundation, Impact Hope, Kepler, Maison Shalom, Mondiant Initiative, GIZ, German Academic Exchange Service and University Corridor to France.
“I recently saw a call for an application for a scholarship to study mechanical engineering, but it only covers 50%, and I have to pay the rest myself,” Consolée says. “Life in the camp is hard – I can’t afford the other half, so it feels impossible.”
Despite limited opportunities for higher education, the Congolese young lady remains hopeful, aspiring to a career in mechanics that could improve her job prospects and help support her family.
She also dreams of becoming a role model, especially for girls, by teaching mechanics and encouraging them to follow careers in fields that are mostly considered for men.
To make this a reality, Consolée advocates for greater support for refugee education to break the cycle of hardship caused by displacement.
“Here in the camp, our parents have no other assets. They left everything behind – no land to farm, no cows. So, imagine a refugee child here with a family that has nothing. What kind of future can you envision for them?” She points out. “Education is the only option because it provides the knowledge and skills that can help them make a living.”
Working together with partners and the donor community, UNHCR continues to mobilise support for refugees like Consolée, providing them with opportunities to study and achieve their dreams. However, the challenges are far from over, and much more needs to be done to ensure that refugee children have the opportunity to thrive and contribute to their communities.
You can help UNHCR support refugees like Consolée by donating here: https://donate.unhcr.org/africa/en-af/general.(End)