Today, Mbuyi Kayembe lives with his family in the Osire refugee camp in northern Namibia. In 1993, he fled his home in the Democratic Republic of the Congo due to the conflict that claimed the lives of his parents. He first fled to Zambia, where he met his wife, Mary, whose father had also been killed by rebels.

Unfortunately, their lives came under threat again when their daughter, Sarah, was born with albinism. They feared she would be kidnapped because of her unique colouring, so they fled once again, this time to the Osire camp in Namibia. Here, the family was granted farmland to grow fruit and vegetables and received food rations, enabling them to earn a small living selling surplus crops.

However, life continued to be difficult for Mbuyi and his family. Low rainfall led to drought and their farm became much less productive, resulting in dwindling food supplies. Mbuyi and the camp’s other residents struggled as they were no longer able to provide for their children.

Thankfully, the suffering in the Osire camp did not last long, as the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), in cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, provided the refugees with regular food rations to end their suffering through the ‘1 Billion Meals’ campaign. “I am grateful to MBRGI for their support. Not only is my family well fed, we are now able to spend our income towards our other needs such as education and healthcare,” said Mbuyi.