Ancilla Riziki, 38, lives with her nine children in Buterere, one of the poorest suburbs of the Burundian capital, Bujumbura. Struggling to find formal employment and with a large family to feed, she works on a rubbish dump, foraging through the garbage all day with no protection for her hands and feet.
“We were living at Gasenyi in the north of Bujumbura in 1993 but we had to leave because of the war. Kamenge was becoming a battlefield; every house was being destroyed. The whole population was leaving, so we moved to Buterere.
“I have no job here. With nine children to feed and clothe, it is not easy. I have hands to work, but there are no jobs. I would do any petty job I could find just to leave this place, but I cannot find one. Look at my eyes [Riziki’s eyes were very red and sore from the fumes of the rubbish dump]. A charity worker bought me glasses, but they are broken.
“There is no choice here; we live on rich people’s garbage. Every morning, I wait for the lorries. They normally come at eight and then we start digging and digging the mountains of rubbish the whole day.
“Many of us are widows or very poor. We live on scavenging. There are also men, young people and even children. Each group looks for specific objects; plastic bags, metallic items or food. Women normally look for charcoal, but sometimes, people throw away useful things. Then there are big battles here, especially among young men; the strongest get them.
“I normally get charcoal worth 200 francs (20 US cents) per day. We get very little because it is already used charcoal. With the money, I buy sweet potatoes for my children. But it is not enough for a big family like mine. Mostly, they go to sleep still hungry. Sometimes I can get clothes from here. With 200 francs, I cannot afford to buy them.
“I want to make sure my children do not end up here too. They all attend schools, except the three youngest, who are small. My oldest daughter is finishing secondary school thanks to a godfather who paid her expenses. The others are still in primary school. We are lucky that we do not have to pay school fees and each year charity organisations offer us school materials.”
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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
