Monday 20 June 2011

Meheba UNHCR settlement

The Book Bus arrives in Meheba UNHCR refugee settlement. The Book Bus and its volunteer crew will be marking "World Refugee Day" today in Meheba where more than 17,000 refugees from Angola, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Somalia are housed by the UN in preparation for repatriation or passage to a new home. Whilst conditions within the settlement are reasonably comfortable by African bush standards, opportunities and education are severely limited. You can imagine then the joy that the Book Bus brings every time we visit Meheba. 2011 marks our third year of cooperation with UNHCR and Book Bus coordinator Jackie Wigglesworth and her crew of volunteers will be providing reading assistance and story telling sessions at 5 schools within the camp. Living in the settlement presents its own challenges - some of the crew will be spending 6 weeks there under canvas with few of the domestic amenities that we all take for granted at home. The project runs form 20 June until 29 July 2011, follow their story on Facebook and on this Book Bus Blog.