Ntahorutari Samson fled to DRC with his mother and his sister when conflict intensified in Burundi in 1972. With his stepfather killed and conflicts erupting all over the Congo, he and his family crossed over to Tanzania.
His mother’s mental health was failing and Samson organized repatriation papers to admit her to a mental hospital back in Burundi. Samson couldn’t return himself, and says that living in the refugee camp was torture.
But when the camps closed and he had to return, Samson was able to join a livelihood project for returnees. He started a motor mechanic shop, a skill he had learnt in the refugee camp, and was able to house his family, saving to expand his workshop for car repairs.