A refugee is someone who survived and who can create the future. As NGOs our main source of happiness is giving back to the community. The level of our happiness increases when we actually see the same individuals that we assist also wanting to give back to the community by helping other fellow refugees.

The following act of humanity was seen through Mendy Hameda, who is a refugee from South Sudan, residing in Nairobi -Kenya with his uncle. He was a former JRS beneficiary since 2014 to 2018 both his secondary level and University level.

Mendy now runs a refugee led organization. He is the manager for the program named Hope Relief Rehabilitation for Disabilities Support (HRRDs. It is a non-governmental organization operating in Sudan’s Southern Kordofan/Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile regions as well as South Sudan dedicated towards advocating and promoting the rights of persons with disabilities and making them partners to the development processes, which is so encouraging for him and the team to the world what refugee can offer.

The reason why Mendy and the family left South Sudan, was because of the hostile social environment, which drove them to their current residence. Mendy also lost his father who was a rebel military due to war and the government forces that attacked people forcing them to flee in 2000.They then moved to Lokichogio in the North Eastern Kenyan in Kakuma where they have been refugees ever since.

He thanks the Kenyan government for protecting them because, if it wasn’t for them they wouldn’t have survived. The family members also separated due to the war, some are in Kakuma, he is staying with his uncle in Nairobi and others are in South Sudan. Mendy is his family’s symbol of hope as he strives to make them proud, giving them a better future and as he quoted the father died in war zone making them vulnerable as he was the pillar of the family. As a result his death gave them double trauma because of their current refugee status and the loss of their father.

Mendy plans on going back to South Sudan despite it not being safe because of the future plans that he has for his organization together with the people working together with him. The organizations is based in Sudan with which he hopes to change the political issues in his country.

He thanks JRS for an opportunity to study in Daystar University where he pursued International relations and Security and with the skills he started an organization to help other refugees in the society in Sudan and South Sudan, especially those with disabilities especially women and children.

One of the challenge that they have been facing since they started the organization as he quotes

“I hope to be an agent of change for many refugees. Since refugees should get meaningful opportunities to show what they can offer”, as he quotes, he would appreciate if JRS would partner with them so as they can manage the organization better with the skills acquired after the partnership from an organization with a better foundation already like JRS.

With Mendy’s story we clearly see that, “To be a refugee is the opposite of an insult; it is a badge of strength, courage and victory” by Jorge Ramos.