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At Geneva Refugee Forum, African Nations Hope for Support

Lisa Bryant

   GENEVA - African governments and refugee activists hope a
   ground-breaking refugee forum will deliver much-needed funding and
   voice to a region whose challenges are often eclipsed by more
   headline-grabbing crises.

   Two decades ago, John Bolinga fled his hometown of Goma, in Democratic
   Republic of Congo's restive northeast.

   "Rebels came and attacked our home so my father was shot dead. So I had
   to run to Uganda," Bolinga said.

   He started out destitute, but eventually launched his own NGO in
   Kampala, which today helps women and children who like himself, were
   uprooted by violence.

   He is sharing his story in Geneva, where countries are meeting for a
   first-ever global refugee forum. Here and elsewhere, Bolinga says,
   giving refugees a voice and active role in decisions that affect their
   lives is critical.

   "The challenge is if refugees feel they're not welcomed," Bolinaa said,
   "and also the root causes which is making refugees to flee their
   countries is not tackled, there is going to be a crisis."

   Africa is a leading exporter of refugees. They count among the millions
   making perilous journeys across the Sahara and Mediterranean for a
   better life in Europe '¦ which often isn't realized. But Africa also
   shelters more than one-quarter of the world's displaced people.

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