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The look in the little boy's eyes told it all. His eyes were vacant - bereft of hope, dreams, even the possibility that one day things might get better. Their […]

GOMA, Zaire _ Knotty and frail like the long walking stick she clutched, the old woman seemed to appear from nowhere, a ghost in the morning fog, draped from shoulders […]

The one million Rwandan refugees at the Mugunga refugee camp in Zaire are dependent upon employees of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for their social welfare. UNHCR is responsible for co-ordinating almost 100 organisations and is funded by wealthy countries. The UNHCR faces several problems in the 1990s, such as the possible forced repatriation of refugees. The repatriation of Rwandan refugees in particular poses a moral dilemma as many fled to avoid retribution for their involvement in acts of genocide. The activities of UNHCR are desbribed.

Some observers believe that in extreme crisis situations, such as in the Rwandan refugee camps in Zaire, international aid efforts should be focused on saving young people rather than the elderly. However, Help the Aged believes that it is vital to offer assistance to the elderly too, as they are essential to the functioning of the community. They have a vital role as leaders and advisers, and are often the only adults left to care for the small children, as the middle generation has been destroyed by the war.

The Ndosho orphanage in Goma, Zaire, has been taken over by Rwandan orphans. The orphanage, which originally had 40 Zairean children, now has over 3,000 Rwandan children. Christian Clark, a Unicef worker, collects up all the Rwandan children who are alone in the refugee camp in Goma. Over 10,000 Rwandan children have already been picked up around Goma. Many new born babies are being left behind by their mothers.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees spokeswoman Sylvana Foa said on Jul. 22, 1994, that the organisation expects every single country in the world to contribute to the United Nations' appeal for food and medical equipment to help the millions of refugees dying on Rwanda's borders. The US overcame its reluctance to intervene, which stemmed from its bungling of the crisis in Somalia, by announcing on Jul. 22, 1994, that it was increasing its involvement in Rwanda. Cholera is rife in the refugee camps, prompting Zairean troops to shoot Rwandans in a bid to drive them from the camps.

US Pres. Bill Clinton announced plans for an immediate and massive increase in aid to Rwanda on Jul. 22, 1994, saying that a refugee was dying there every minute. Clinton launched an emergency military airlift of international relief supplies to the refugees and pledged the US's support for an immediate deployment of United Nations (UN) peacekeeping forces to help persuade refugees that it was safe for them to go home. UN secretary-general Boutros Boutros-Ghali appealed for $400 million to tackle the disaster in the refugee camps on Rwanda's border with Zaire where there is now a cholera epidemic.