Salma's Site

This Website aims to inform well-wishers and sponsors about the past and present situation of the Buwembo family.

Salma
Salma Buwembo, an asylum seeker from Burundi, a small strife torn country in Central Africa came to Darlington shortly before her baby daughter Iman was born in December 2003. Salma and her husband Jamil had run a vegetable and fruit business in the capital Bujumbura but tragically, as a result of internal strife, Jamil was killed. Salma was imprisoned but managed to bribe her way out by parting with her wedding rings. So frightened was she of being rearrested while pregnant, she fled the country leaving her elder daughter, Amal, with her mother. Salma arrived in London in July 2003.

Arrival in England
The National Council of Women invited the local group of Amnesty International (AI) to provide some initial support for Salma while she waited for her claim for asylum to be processed. AI was able to involve the Red Cross to try to trace her mother and elder daughter who had joined the thousands of people displaced by the upheaval.

During this time Salma became involved in education classes and provided support to other asylum seekers, helping the Housing Dept. of the Borough Council to settle in new arrivals. By this time Salma and Iman had made many friends in the Darlington community, who helped her in practical ways and provided necessities that were shared with other asylum-seekers‘ families.

Return to Africa
Sadly in July 2005, her appeal to remain in Britain was refused. She was offered a sum of money to return to Burundi, which she turned down, so great was her fear of what might happen to her and her little girl.

At the start of 2006 an opportunity arose for Salma to return to Africa but to another country, Uganda. Soon after her arrival there, she set out to search for her family with whom she had lost all contact, and much to the joy of all of us who knew her, managed to find them in a refugee camp. However, her search was not without difficulties as little Iman contracted malaria and became very ill.

Settled in Kampala
Recently Salma and her family have moved to Kampala, the capital of Uganda. She has found a job, which provides a small salary, and she is trying to build a new life for herself and her family. She is continuing her studies of English, support workers feel she could do well counselling other refugees and may eventually lead to better paid employment. Both of the girls are now at school - however education is not free in Uganda and uniform is compulsory - and also needs to provide medication for Iman‘s continuing health problems.

Salma‘s Site
The members of the Darlington Group of AI, who originally supported Salma, are committed to continue to do so; but as a group of independent individuals. They have set up a Community Direct Plus Account with the Co-op Bank to which they hope to attract small donations in order to give Salma some financial support on a regular basis.

Eventually they would like to obtain sponsors to enable Salma to continue with her own education so as to be able to support her family in some professional capacity - possibly that of nursing - as this is what she would have chosen to do if she had been allowed to stay in Britain.

Sponsor Salma and her Family
Salma‘s friends have opened a bank account for anyone who would like to help Salma and her family. The Account is with the Co-operative Bank. It is a Community Direct Plus Account.

One-off donations as well as small regular monthly remittances would be very much appreciated.

The details of the Account are:

More Information
We hope the website will be updated regularly to provide news and photos of the family.