A day in the Life of a Refugee Girl

 The following story was submitted by a former refugee girl

I was born in the war torn Somalia and fled with my family when the civil war broke out in Somalia. We were brought to what later became the largest refugee camp in the world. In the refugee camp there were schools built by humanitarian agencies for the refugee children. Coming from a society where girl child education is seen as worthless and a waste of time, I had the difficult task of persuading my family to send me to school. Once granted, like the many other girls of my community, we had a very difficult experience trying to fit into a system of education where we were not meant for. There were challenges but we had to persevere to fulfill our dreams and aspirations.

To start with, there were societal stereotypes towards girl child education. In my community girls were supposed to stay at home and do family chores before they are married off to someone. Although my parents allowed me to go to school, I had to brave the insults and threats I got from the larger community daily on my way to school. I was viewed as a spoilt child with no future in that community. It hurt me seriously but I was optimistic that I would one day prove them wrong. The standard of the education was very poor in the refugee camps and it was a normal thing for us to use tree shades as class rooms. The educational resources in the school were so poor and worse still girls did not get a fair share of the limited resources. We were not allowed to mix with the boys and there was virtually no class discussion between boys and girls. With a ratio of two girls to twenty boys in class, we felt so inferior that we feared asking questions to the teachers. On the very rare occasions a girl tries to ask a question or seek a clarification, it was a common thing to get a jeer from the boys whenever the teacher is distracted from their attention. In addition to this was insecurity in the camps which restricted movement of girls at night. Boys would normally form study groups and study together at night. Girls could not get out of their homes at night for fear of being raped or assaulted by bandits. I had to study alone with no help from anyone. My parents were of no help for they couldn’t read or write. The worst of all came when a girl had to undergo the knife. Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a traditional rite which signifies the transition of a girl into womanhood. In addition to the painful experience and missing of classes for two months, there were always the boys who will receive you with a big laughter on your first day in class. It was a common thing for boys to sneak into the class when the teachers are away and write the infamous phrases “you are woman now, welcome back” on our desks. This forced many girls to drop out of school. It was too much to take but I had to keep on going with my studies. As expected our grades were way below boys’ and this was a justification for some that we were not meant for school but to keep the houses and help our mothers. But they were wrong and I wanted to prove them wrong.

With all those problems, my biggest motivation was the many successful women in the world. Given the chance, I was always optimistic of being a successful woman one day. By the time I was in high school, things started changing and there were instances where girls performed better than boys. This was achieved through continuous awareness on girl child education by some agencies operating in the refugee camp. The community’s perception on the role of girls and women changed a little bit and many girls were being sent to school.

My biggest lesson from this experience is that everything is possible and can be achieved if you have confidence and determination. Those two values coupled with hard work are what made me who I am today.

Somali Famine: Reaction and Response

If you have been following the news lately, you may have seen stories about the devastating famine in Somalia. Although the media coverage was below bar or to be fair superficial, the message of the suffering millions reached everywhere. As usual there were mixed reactions and little response to the main issue at hand. 

  Reactions first, i came across a couple of internet forums where the Somali famine was discussed or for some passed their free time venting their hatred and inhumanity on issues they know little of. Particularly interesting was the common bullshit every kid was talking about. That the famine is sole responsibility of the suffering and that no matter what the world tries to do, it can not be reversed.  And then there was the sick jokes about the malnourished children. I don't have space for that now. Why was it to blame them for something natural? I have no idea but it had to do with their many kids and large families. That resonates very well with every one who grew up in the west but its far from the truth. I don't need to explain their weird theories but i wonder why people became so heartless and self-centered. Human life is sacred and its the responsibility of every human to guard that sanctity , protect and save a suffering human in anyway you can. That responsibility was long forgotten and for a few it never existed. 

This is not the first famine in this world. The world has experienced devastating famine and disasters all over. Ever heard of the Great Famine just two centuries ago in Ireland and other parts of Europe. Was it because of their large families? of course not. I have experienced and lived disasters myself and i know what it feels like.

The world response was at its worst. The UN refugee agency said less than half of the required aid was delivered. Donations from rich countries was poor. However, a lot was raised through the awareness of Somalis in the Diaspora. But the awareness was not enough. The mainstream media made it any other side story and made sure it gets little airtime. I was reading an article by one of the Aljazeera bloggers on how the famine was almost a non-issue on the social media. I liked one question he paused: “ when will Somalia get its hash tag?” of course it will never get one. Wait. May be if Lady Gaga visits there. That is how low everything on the social media has become.

However, there were many positives and if it would not have been the generous response from ordinary people all over, life would have been a grim reality for many. Many thanks to the Turkish government and people for the generous donations and help.