Wajuma* is in Year 6. She's at an age where, right now, many of her counterparts in the UK are writing exams in readiness for secondary school and planning things like leavers’ hoodies and end-of-school-year celebrations. But, for Wajuma, things look very different at the moment. The lessons she is learning do not come from a safe classroom with a well-meaning teacher. Instead, she is being taught, first hand, the horrific toll that conflict can take on countries, communities, families and individuals. It is a cruel education that no child should ever have to experience.
Until a few months ago, Wajuma was living with her mum in a village in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, going to school each day and doing the kinds of things, dreaming the kinds of dreams, and having the kinds of conversations with friends that many 14-year-old girls do. Her mother provided for their small household, taking on various jobs in order to pay for food and for Wajuma’s education.
And then, the violence that has been ravaging their country arrived at their door. The family were forced to run.
In the chaos of trying to escape, Wajuma became separated from her mother. Now, Wajuma finds herself alone at a refugee camp in neighbouring Burundi after a long and dangerous journey on foot to find some safety.
Many people in the camp who have made a similar journey tell harrowing stories of loved ones lost in brutal attacks on the way. Fortunately for Wajuma, her mother has been found, but she is currently in hospital in a different refugee camp in Burundi.
As Wajuma faces this really difficult situation, she says that the practical support she has received from Tearfund has been so important. She has received items like food, warm blankets, plastic cups to drink from, plates to eat off, a bucket for carrying water and some bath soap. She explains that these items have allowed her to maintain some basic hygiene standards, drink some comforting hot tea, and have some protection from the cold at night.
