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Hello, I'm Angelique Kabagwila. I come from Rwanda (East Africa). I got separated from my family in the 1994 genocide between Tutsi and Hutu tribes. I have been a refugee in Cape Town since 1998 and was in the Hope Now Rainbow House.
I'm trying to get South African citizenship but this is a long and hard road, but I'm used to hard roads. I know what its like to live in a refugee camp in Congo, then Zambia and on to Malawi, at Camp Zaleka for almost 2 years. Then we heard rumours of deportation - time to move on again. I was doing some washing and my cousin said we must leave in two hours. We fled to Camp Osile in Namibia, where 95% of the refugees were from Angola, another war torn country. There I learned Portuguese. The principal was from Congo, the social science teacher from Malawi and we even had an English teacher, but I don't know where from.
Eventually we came to rest in South Africa but my cousin and his wife were abusive, so I left them to fend for myself, even though I was still very young.
God has been taking care of me through people like Vic Jackopson and Auntie Margaret (Ferguson), who is from the New Forest, and has been a mother to me.
I am a third year student at the University of the Western Cape and I'm doing a BA Degree in Tourism and Communication. I am completing my final year and I thank God for having helped me through my studies successfully.
I have been invited twice to be a Golden Key member due to being in the 15% top students. In April, one of my tourism lecturers asked me for my details and when I asked him," why?" He said he was asked for his top two students. I felt honored to hear that, as I always try to achieve the best results possible. It's my way of thanking all the people that have contributed towards my education and my life in general.
I am staying in a place called Athlone at the YMCA. I moved there last year. It is not a safe area as many young people in this area engage in illegal activities such as drugs and therefore always need a fix. They turn to crime to supply their drug needs. I do thank God that I have not been robbed here but many of my friends have and this has caused them to leave the place.
Hope Now and Uncle Vic gave me 5 years of care at Rainbow House and soon I will complete my degree. My dream, my hope, is to go on to study for a further year honor's degree, because competition for jobs is fierce, especially for refugees. Sadly, there are no bursaries available for foreigners. I would really like to finish my education, as a big thank you to all who have helped me.
My future? After a year or two of work in S.A. I would like to look into the possibility of working in Angola, where they need all kinds of professionals.
Thank you. And God bless you all.
Angelique
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