Mahama refugee women and girls trained on online safety as digital risks grow

By Elias Hakizimana.

June 19, 2026  — Women and girls living in Mahama Refugee Camp in Kirehe District have completed a two-day training on online trust and safety, aimed at helping them better identify online scams, protect personal information, and use digital tools more safely as reliance on mobile phones continues to grow in camp life.

The training brought together about 200 refugee participants from Burundi, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo who live in Mahama refugee camp.

With smartphones increasingly used for communication, accessing services, and small income-generating activities, trainers said the sessions were designed to respond to rising cases of online fraud, phishing messages, fake financial promises, and account impersonation.

For participants, the training reflected risks they often encounter but rarely fully understand.

Claudine Nikuze said the sessions helped her recognize how online scams operate and the importance of protecting personal accounts.

“We were trained to avoid online scams, financial fake lures, and to protect our emails,” she said. “The training was useful, but the time was too short. We need more time to really understand these skills.”

Esperance Ininahazwe reiterated the concern, saying the content was relevant but required more time for practice and deeper understanding.

“The skills were very interesting and important for our future,” she said. “If possible, future trainings should be longer so we can go deeper.”

Hala Khamis Bahar, a participant from Sudan, said the training was especially important for refugees who are still adapting to digital tools in their daily lives.

“This training is very important for us refugees in Mahama,” she said. “We use phones every day, but we do not always know the risks behind them. It helped us understand how to be more careful online.”

Speaking to participants, Emmanuel Mfitumukiza, Chairperson of ISOC Rwanda, urged them to treat smartphones as powerful tools that also require responsibility, warning that personal data can easily be exposed if not properly protected.

“Your gadgets carry your private information, your children’s information, and other sensitive data,” he said. “Please manage them carefully and avoid exposing sensitive information online.”

He also encouraged participants to think of digital skills not only as protection but also as a possible source of income if used wisely.

However, trainers noted that many participants are still at a basic level of digital literacy, which limited how much could be covered in the short training period.

Clovis Nziraguhimba, ICT trainer and coordinator at CED, said the two-day sessions reached about 200 women and girls, but more time would be needed to build stronger skills.

“We worked with participants from different countries, but the time was very short—we needed at least a week,” he said. “Many of them still need basic ICT skills before advancing to online safety topics.”

He added that trainers focused on practical examples such as fake links, fraud messages, and impersonation cases to make the lessons more relatable.

Organizers said the initiative is part of broader efforts to promote safer internet use and digital inclusion in refugee communities, where access to smartphones is increasing faster than digital literacy.

Participants said they hope future trainings will be extended and expanded to reach more people in the camp as digital reliance continues to grow.

 

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