South African archdiocese aids Zimbabwean refugees adjust to new life

Published: 2007-12-21

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CNS) -- Recognizing the enormous difficulties Zimbabwean refugees face when they flee to South Africa, staff members at a South African archdiocese have set up programs to help the refugees adjust. For example, at Healing Touch of Christ workshops, refugees "tell their stories, which helps them to deal with the pain," said Hupenyu Makusha, a Zimbabwean teacher who works for the Durban Archdiocese's office for pastoral care of refugees. The workshops also help the refugees to integrate with South Africans, he said in a Dec. 21 telephone interview from Durban. "The atmosphere is tense as the workshops start, but by the end people are chatting and exchanging phone numbers," said Makusha, who has been in South Africa for 14 months; his family remains in Zimbabwe. The archdiocesan office also "welcomes newcomers and pays for two weeks' accommodation as they find their feet," Makusha said. The office also pays school fees for many children of refugees, he said.

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