Over 290,000 people live in refugee camps in Tanzania`s north-western Kigoma district, the vast majority coming from neighbouring Burundi. People are crossing the border every day – in January, nearly 19,000 Burundians arrived in Tanzania, according to the UNHCR.
Unsanitary and overcrowded conditions, particularly in the cramped mass shelters that house new arrivals, cause a host of health problems including diarrhoea, respiratory tract infections, and skin conditions. Children, as well as expectant or new mothers, are often the most vulnerable to falling sick. Malaria is one of the biggest risks in the camps, particularly during the rainy season, where stagnant water provides a breeding ground for mosquitoes. In January 2017 alone, MSF tested over 31,200 people, treating the 16,812 found to have the disease.
Here, four MSF patients in Nduta and Nyarugusu camps describe the shelter, water, food and hygiene problems they face, as well as their life in the camps and the health problems they encounter.

All of the portraits go along with testimonies. Consent has been given.