How coding training nurtures software developers from Mahama refugee camp

Some of the 80 students during a training on coding at Mahama refugee Camp in Kirehe. Emmanuel Nkangura.


Leilah Carmene Ntirampeba, a refugee in Mahama camp in Eastern Province, had lost hope for the future when her family fled Burundi in 2015.

Ntirampeba, 24, enrolled in a local secondary school and studied Mathematics, Economics and Geography. After secondary school, she enrolled in a coding programme offered at the camp located in Kirehe District.

Though life in a refugee camp means that there are limited resources and it is hard to have reliable incomes, training in software development offers opportunities for employment and internship placements for refugees like Ntirampeba.

The Burundian refugee is one of the top performers in a cohort of 40 students, who attended 10 months of training in software development.

“Along with my colleague, we are developing an app which will help refugees access health services; we named it Mahama Med-care app,” said Ntirampeba, who is one of top 20 students waiting for a four-month internship, in which they will receive career coaching and further entrepreneurial skills.


This structured approach ensures that students not only learn coding but also understand how to navigate the job market and potentially start their own businesses.

Up to 24 software developers graduated from the programme in 2023-2024. 20 of them have been placed in different tech companies in Kigali, while two secured positions at Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA). More programmers got internship opportunities in organisations.

Jonathan Kalisa, the senior coding officer who teaches the refugee and host communities said the programme equips the trainees with necessary skills that companies look for in interns.

“When we approach companies about hiring our coding graduates, they think we should pay for the placement,” he said.

“It is still a challenge but we urge companies to have trust in the refugee students because they are well trained and capable of competing on the job market.”

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