Feature: Congolese refugee woman strives to protect Uganda's environment

Widowed by war back home, Alphonsine Muhawenimana, a Congolese refugee in Uganda, is striving to preserve the environment in her area damaged by abuse of resources on the part of refugees.

Muhawenimana fled fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2009. She left home with two of her children. Her two other children and their father stayed and they did not survive the war.

Muhawenimana with her children walked to the DRC border with Uganda and later she was transferred to the Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in the western Ugandan district of Hoima.

On arrival in Hoima, she noticed that refugees were cutting down trees for firewood and construction. She eventually embarked on a journey to protect the environment.

Muhawenimana passionately taught others to make briquettes from garbage. She also told people around her how to make energy saving stoves.

"I want everyone in my community and everyone in the settlement to use briquettes," she said.

Muhawenimana is helping other refugees to utilize swamps for their farming and mobilizes women to promote sustainable vegetable growing.

It is her duty to see if swamps are being encroached, and when she sees this happening she talks to the people and tries to get them to understand why it is bad.

"Sometimes people ask, why are you telling us this, you didn't even go to school," she said.

They failed to bring her down with all those unfriendliness. Recently, she started teaching people how to utilize grass and animal feces for manure.

"I will never stop doing this, I will continue until I die. I want to be an example, so I do everything myself first. How can I tell people what to do or how to farm if I'm not doing the same myself? When something works, I tell others about it," she said.

Muhawenimana's hard work has not gone unnoticed. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Finnish Refugee Council (FRC) and the Ugandan government have chosen her as the Refugee Woman of the Year.

"With the award, FRC, UNHCR and OPM (Office of the Prime Minister) want to increase the awareness of refugee issues and encourage refugee women to go forward and promote positive images of skilled and resourceful women in Uganda," said a statement issued here by the FRC on Saturday.

"The winner will be awarded 3 million shillings (1,000 U.S. dollars) of which one million shillings (333 dollars) goes to the winner and two million shillings (667 dollars) to a community project of her choice," the statement added.

The award ceremony was held in the northwestern Ugandan district of Adjumani on Saturday where the national commemoration of the International Refugee Day was held.

Uganda hosts refugees from the DRC, Somali, Burundi, Eritrea, South Sudan and other countries. Endi