The dark side of asylum

At the heart of the Osire refugee camp in the Otjozondjupa Region lies a harrowing scene that’ll leave you stunned and heartbroken.

A sea of stateless children and their parents huddle together in deplorable living conditions, with limited access to basic resources and services.

The camp, located just over 100 kilometres outside Okahandja, is home to refugees from about 30 African countries - families and individuals forced to flee their own homes because of war and political unrest.

The tale of Osire begins with what are called ‘transit rooms’.

In these poorly-constructed structures, newcomers are accommodated for up to three years until they are allocated a house, according to community members.

If not for the assistance of Good Samaritans, these newcomers would be forced to sleep on the cold cement floor with their children.

Horror story

Narrating a horror story of zero sanitation, limited access to water, houses that “collapse whenever it rains” and pregnant women getting raped is Martin Byendiwa, president of the refugee camp.

Byendiwa, who hails from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where terrorist-sanctioned violence is raging, said one of the biggest challenges is that they are not allowed to leave the camp to look for jobs.

And this leaves them in despair as they receive food rations only every second month, which consist of a five-kilogram bag of maize and beans.

“Now what about the HIV-positive people who must have good nutrition? We even have [children with albinism] here and they don’t even receive sunscreen any more,” he said.

“The crime is also going up. We just recently had a pregnant woman who was raped. We have 30 nationalities here and people develop animosity amongst each other.

“For the newcomers, you don’t get a mattress and blankets, and some even arrive here pregnant and deliver their babies here,” he added.

Byendiwa himself has been living in the transit section for six months – and said they have basically been dumped at the settlement to languish.

Hazardous

“This [has been] going [on] now for four years. The shelter no longer has cement to build homes. We are not allowed to work. This is our home. We are told that they will do everything for us, and now we are in this calamity,” he said.

In some parts of the camp, toilets constructed with mud and sand - which collapsed during rainstorms - have now been replaced by a concrete block and a hole in the ground.

This same spot has now been cordoned off with cloths to create a makeshift bathroom where residents use cut-in-half five-litre containers to take baths.

According to one of the young men at the camp, who spoke on condition of anonymity, these same hazardous sites are used by children.

Many of the two-roomed shelters - mostly clad with mud - are occupied by families of up to 15 people.

In one home, the area used as a kitchen is transformed into a bedroom in the evening, while dishes and buckets are stacked in one corner.

No water

The community’s main activities are crop and chicken farming, while some make a living off of crafting poles into fences. However, the lack of water is risking their livelihood, residents said.

“We are living off these gardens and this maize meal we are receiving. One five-kilogram [bag of] maize and beans a month is not enough. If there is a way, I hope someone can come to our aid.

“And now there is no water to water our plants. You can see yourself, there is nothing,” another community member, who has a garden behind his home, said.

He added that while he has started a drip irrigation system to water his plants, most of his crops have died.

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