{"id":5636,"date":"2015-12-18T10:57:05","date_gmt":"2015-12-18T09:57:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=43882"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:19","slug":"duimen-draaien-in-werkendam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2015\/12\/18\/duimen-draaien-in-werkendam\/","title":{"rendered":"Twiddling fingers in Werkendam"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Het dorp Werkendam, waar het gezin woont.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRonald van den Heerik<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Jean Pierre Mujyambere graduated from Erasmus University in 2014. The now 41 year old Congolese completed his master in International and European Public Law. Cum laude. Mujyambere is also an asylum seeker. The Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) wants him to return to Congo, but he says that this will be impossible. As a political dissident, he isn\u2019t safe there. Furthermore, his son Steve (8) and daughter Ornella (4) grew up here, so for them it doesn\u2019t mean returning to Congo, but leaving the Netherlands. He now lives with his family in Werkendam, but still doesn\u2019t have a work permit to be able to work.<\/p>\n

You graduated over a year ago cum laude. Last year, there was a petition and the schools in Werkendam held protests to try and get a residence permit for you and your family. A Facebook page was set up and the campaign attracted lots of media attention. Then nothing. But you\u2019re still here. How\u2019s life for you now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI do absolutely nothing. I\u2019m not allowed to work. I can only do voluntary work. And my wife can\u2019t do anything either. We\u2019re forced to sit at home. Something I can do is read. Luckily I\u2019ve been educated as an academic, and read books is something I can always do. So I read books about international law. I\u2019m allowed to do research in my head. And I\u2019m also doing a Dutch language course, preparing for the National Exam at B2 level.\u201d<\/p>\n

It must be difficult not having been able to work for a whole year. Don\u2019t you ever feel like just staying in bed in the morning?<\/strong><\/p>\n

(Laughs) \u201cI get up at seven o\u2019clock every morning. The children go to school, so I have to get them ready. That helps you keep to a routine. And I love running and cycling, which keeps you fit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018We applied for a visa so that I can work as a highly qualified immigrant. That was in July. It\u2019s now November\u2026\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJean Pierre Mujyambere\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Heb je na je afstuderen naar werk gezocht?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, what\u2019s more, thanks to the UAF (the foundation which supports highly qualified refugees; see box), I found a job. The University of Tilburg gave me a job as researcher. They wanted me to do research into how businesses can be held liable for human rights violations under the judicial system of the African Union. But so far, I haven\u2019t been given permission to work. We applied for a visa so that I can work as a highly qualified immigrant. That was in July. It\u2019s now November\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Aren\u2019t you afraid that it will all take too long for Tilburg?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe university applied for the visa, so they know the situation. They keep me informed of any progress. But I don\u2019t understand why it\u2019s taking so long. I don\u2019t hear anything at all at the moment. I don\u2019t know exactly how long it\u2019s supposed to take, but other people usually get one within three months.\u201d<\/p>\n

How did you get to the Netherlands from Congo?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI arrived in 2011 through the family reunion process. My wife and son already lived in the Netherlands. They were living in this house. My son (Steve) came here when he less than a year old. So he doesn\u2019t know home to be anywhere else than the Netherlands. My daughter was actually born here. They only speak Dutch and have Dutch friends. Officially I\u2019m still registered with the asylum detention centre in Utrecht. I\u2019ve been going there every Thursday since 2011 to get a stamp.\u201d<\/p>\n

About UAF\n<\/h3>\t
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The UAF helps highly qualified refugees find a \u2018suitable social position\u2019. In practice, that means that they provide help in finding a study and then finding a job at the right level. That support takes the form of conversations as well as financial help. For example, the UAF pays the tuition fees, travel expenses, books and language courses. Most students tend to graduate in medicine, economics and engineering. Six students are currently studying at Erasmus University with support from the UAF.<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n

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Ornella was born here, Steve came here when he was just a few months old. Why aren\u2019t they eligible for the children\u2019s amnesty?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s my fault. I came to the Netherlands from Burundi, where I was living in a refugee camp. While I was there, the Dutch Immigration Service IND checked whether I was Congolese. One of the things they did was to check my DNA with that of my son. That showed that I\u2019m his father. The IND also got my passport. We therefore fulfilled all the conditions for the children\u2019s amnesty. But it wasn\u2019t granted to Steve and Ornella, because in 2007 I used an ID from another country. In other words, my son has to suffer for things that his father did in the past. The children\u2019s amnesty was refused because there were doubts about my nationality. According to the IND we aren\u2019t Congolese enough to stay, but we are Congolese enough to be send back.\u201d<\/p>\n

How did you manage to study here with so little money?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s all thanks to the UAF. When highly qualified refugees come to the Netherlands, they receive a flyer from the UAF. That\u2019s when I contacted them. After a couple of months, they accepted my application. They were willing to support me! But first I had to learn the language, they said. So I did: first level A1, A2, and then B1. Now I\u2019m preparing for the national exam at B2 level. They asked me what I wanted to study. I wanted to do international law. Learn about international organisations, regional systems to protect human rights. How the EU operates, how the World Health Organisation works. One of the universities they recommended was Erasmus University, which also appealed most to me. Students at EUR come from all over the world. Very multicultural. You can really benefit from that. They guided me right through the procedure and advised me. Eventually I was admitted to the master. The UAF paid for everything: tuition fees, travel expenses and even books. Everything except food, drinks and housing.\u201d<\/p>\n

How do you feel about the UAF doing that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI thought it was amazing: I dedicated my mas- ter\u2019s thesis to UAF. They did so much for me. They gave me the opportunity to study. That gave me a huge boost. It gave me direction. It was one of the few good things I had in my life. I was very worried that I\u2019d be deported, but my studies gave me something to focus on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018There\u2019s a children\u2019s amnesty, it\u2019s a democratic country. There\u2019s a law. And I believe that eventually justice will be done. That\u2019s what I\u2019m desperately hoping\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t–<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJean Pierre Mujyambere\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

How did you find studying at Erasmus University, mostly with much younger students, with very different lives, very different backgrounds<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m 41, but in my programme there were even a few students older than me! Two or three. Most were obviously around 25. But what I really appreciated was that we were all actually the same. Just as \u2018old\u2019, not literally of course, but in terms of being equal. My master was very international. We all came from somewhere: we learned the culture here from each other. People from Georgia, Poland, Germany, Austria, Ethiopia, Ireland. It was really diverse. Then they\u2019d ask me: what\u2019s the news from Congo? That went back and forth. Age wasn\u2019t important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Did you make some friends?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I made lots of friends. We always worked in groups: did homework together, prepared presentations. We were always together. Now that we\u2019ve graduated, we\u2019re still in touch with each other, particularly via Whatsapp. My studies have given me a network! We give each other tips, we chat. Sometimes we even tell each other about vacancies we\u2019ve seen. And if someone\u2019s going on holiday to Africa, they ask me for tips. And I\u2019m certain if I visit a country where one of the other students comes from, they would welcome me too.\u201d<\/p>\n

What if you don\u2019t get a visa? Do you ever think about that possibility?<\/strong><\/p>\n

(Is silent) \u201cYes, I do. It\u2019s very difficult, but I have faith. I just have to assume that the Dutch rule of law doesn\u2019t exist only on paper. The Netherlands is a country that respects human rights. There\u2019s a children\u2019s amnesty, it\u2019s a democratic country. There\u2019s a law. And I believe that eventually justice will be done. That\u2019s what I\u2019m desperately hoping.<\/p>\n

What I don\u2019t understand is this. I have a job, but I don\u2019t understand why I\u2019ve had to wait so long for a work permit. As a family, we need protection in this country. We can\u2019t go back to Congo. But I don\u2019t want to live on other people\u2019s money. I want to pay my taxes in this country just like every other working person here! The only problem is that I haven\u2019t got a permit to work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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