Kiziba, Gihembe, and Nyabiheke Refugee Camps Due to high
altitudes and ample rainfall, the entirety of the Rwandan
landscape consists of lush countryside, permitting bountiful
agriculture for those with the means for cultivation. All of the
refugee camps are surrounded by farmland and small private
dwellings. Both the Kiziba and Gihembe camps are fairly
isolated, while Nyabiheke is located on the outskirts of a
nearby village. All three of the camps are considerably
congested, with only narrow walkways serving as barriers between
homes. Over-crowding hinders the camps’ ability to receive new
refugees, drastically limits new construction of schools,
medical buildings or latrines, and bars the refugee population
from any subsistence gardening, whatsoever. The three camps are
home to nearly 55,000 refugees, almost entirely from the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Many had fled the DRC in
the late 1990s due to political turmoil and violence in the
eastern region of the country. Despite the 2008 peace agre