This is the reality for thousands of refugees at Dzaleka camp.
Located in Dowa district, 41 kilometers away from the capital Lilongwe, Dzaleka refugee camp was set up in the 1990s.
Designed to accommodate about 12,000 displaced foreign nationals, the camp, according to statistics by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, has over 50,000 inhabitants.
Due to these high numbers, inadequate food, water, and shelter are just the tip of the iceberg. Refugees here face a bigger struggle – the fight for their rights.
Meet Innocent Nyonguru, a 24-year-old Burundian who fled his homeland at the tender age of 5.
His eyes have seen the unimaginable, and his voice trembles as he recounts the struggles of living in a camp where basic human rights are a luxury.
“We are facing a lot of challenges. For instance, we were initially given maize as food assistance. However, that assistance was removed and replaced with a cash allowance of K9,000, given monthly to every refugee. To be honest, this amount is insufficient to cater to basic needs like food that can last a month,” explains Nyonguru.
Innocent’s story is just one of many. Ngalama Reveriano, a Burundian father of eight, lies in his makeshift shelter, his broken limb a testament to the camp’s dire conditions.
His 11-year-old child, Belan, speaks on his behalf, her voice laced with desperation. In her narrative, the standard six pupil at Umodzi Katudza primary school, located inside the camp, says her father cannot work, which makes him unable to provide for his family.
“My father is sick, so he is currently idle. Honestly, we are not living a happy life. It is only my mother who provides for the family through piecework. We are suffering; it is difficult for us to have food. I really wish my father had something to do. Because it is even hard for my mother to find piecework in the camp,” said Belan.
As we delve deeper into the camp, we meet Divota Iradikunda, a 24-year-old Burundian who has spent 20 years of her life within the walls of Dzaleka. Her story is one of resilience, of a spirit that refuses to be broken.
“There is a problem of resources. Resources in the camp are insufficient. Currently, we receive K9,200, to be specific. This is given to a family to use in a month. So, this has caused a lot of crime, stealing, and young girls involve themselves in prostitution,” discloses Iradikunda.
Authorities attest to the challenges refugees at Dzaleka camp are facing.
According to Hilda Kausiwa, the Senior Administrative and Operations Manager in the Department of Refugees at the Ministry of Homeland Security, the situation is dire.
For instance, at a media training held in May 2024 in Mangochi district, Kausiwa acknowledged shortfalls in health and education service provision, with water scarcity being a major challenge. Kausiwa noted that each person is allocated 11 liters of water per day, against a 20-liter standard.
For these are matters bordering on human rights issues – Civil Society Organizations like the Human Rights Defender Coalition and the Center for Human Rights Education and Assistance decry what they describe as the government’s inaction, citing a lack of respect for basic human rights.
Michael Kayiyatsa, HRDC’s Vice Chairperson, describes the situation at the camp as pathetic.
“The situation is very pathetic; food is a challenge. For a number of years now, institutions like the WFP have been reducing their funding towards procurement of food to refugees,” says Kayiyatsa.
And Victor Mhango, Executive Director for the Center for Human Rights Education and Assistance, concurs with Kayiyatsa, saying the country is not doing enough in promoting the rights of refugees.
“We are not doing very fine because the camp is congested. The population, which is there, is not in tandem with what it is supposed to accommodate. There is a scramble for the same facilities, so we can say human rights violations are there,” added Mhango.
To address challenges such as these, Iradikunda, together with Nyonguru, calls for a review of laws governing the management of refugees in the country to allow foreign nationals to integrate with local communities.
“The encampment policies have left people dependent on donors, which is exhausting for them, I’m sure. If people were given a chance to get involved in economic activities, it would reduce most of the challenges people are facing in the camp,” she shares.
In addition, Nyonguru says, “We only ask for economic freedom. We want to have the freedom to do business. We are appealing for policies that would allow us to be employed. We want to work and do business everywhere freely without fear. If our calls are heard and respected, it would be very helpful to us.”
And backing the calls is Kayiyatsa, saying integrating refugees into the local community could not only offer economic freedom to the refugees but could also be economically beneficial to the country.
“Malawi needs to realize that the world is changing. If you look at how countries like Kenya, Uganda, and others, countries that are hosting a lot of refugees, they have adopted systems that seem to be friendly towards refugee integration,” says Kayiyatsa.
To his side, Peter Chisi, Director of Political and Civil Rights at the Malawi Human Rights Commission, attributes the situation to the government’s delay in adopting the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework, which provides for integrating refugees into the national agenda.
“Around 2016, our government committed that it was going to adopt what was known as the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework, under that policy government committed that they were going to integrate issues of refugees as part of the national agenda,” explains Chisi.
Despite Malawi being a signatory state to the 1951 Convention, which, among others, provides for the integration of refugees into the local community, little is being done to adhere to the provisions, according to Chisi.
With this, Chisi vows that the Commission will continue to push the government to withdraw some of its reservations it made to the Convention.
“As Malawi Human Rights Commission, our position has been that we want to engage government so that they can withdraw some of the reservations that they made to the 1951 convention of which Malawi is a state party. Once we withdraw those reservations, it means some refugees are qualified and willing to engage in gainful employment will be allowed to do that,” says Chisi.
Weighing in on the discussion is Robert Kandulu, Deputy Director for Law Reform at the Malawi Law Commission, who notes that the Commission is reviewing the Refugee Act to domesticate the provisions of the 1951 Convention.
“We do have efforts that are undertaken to take care of such issues. The Act was meant to domesticate the 1951 refugee convention, which was not a comprehensive provision on certain matters,” confirms Kandulu.
As organizations like the Malawi Human Rights Commission advocate for the adoption of a policy integrating refugees into the country, concerns about potential security hazards have been raised.
Lucky Mbewe, a social commentator, is sharing such fears, saying there is a need to manage the matter cautiously.
“Is the government going to do enough to scrutinize these refugees before they come into this country? Because that’s where we error, we’re just quick to allow each and every refugee that comes and accommodate them without checking their criminal record,” explains Mbewe.
However, Salim Bagus, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Defense and Security, disagrees with these fears, saying countries have laws to abide by for security to prevail.
“Reviewing the laws does not mean there is no security. We all work under one roof, which is rules to govern every country. Security is there,” explains Bagus.
But what are authorities doing to address the challenges refugees are facing at Dzaleka camp?
In a move to respond to Nyonguru’s concerns about low cash-transfer, the World Food Programme (WFP), in August 2024, announced an increase of the monthly allowances from about K9,000 to K13,600.
In its statement, WFP indicated that the camp would from August 2024 receive 75 percent of refugees’ daily food needs.
To the government’s side, Erica Maganga, Secretary for Homeland Security, assures that the authorities are working to address the concerns.
In a move to reduce pressure on resources at the camp, Maganga says the government is planning to set up a new refugee camp in Chitipa district.
“Government has plans that we should have a refugee camp in Chitipa, where T/A Menewenya has provided to the government about 444 hectares of land. So our plan as government is to move the camp where we are going to provide all the amenities that they need, health, education, and other facilities that they will need.”
As the sun sets over Dzaleka, the refugees’ wait continues. A wait for freedom, for justice, for a chance to rebuild their shattered lives. Until then, their stories will remain, a testament to the human spirit’s capacity to endure.
This article was originally published on Malawi Institute Of Journalism
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