Fatima shares what it's like to have been a war refugee for ten years
The Refugee Convention defines a refugee as 'any person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his/her nationality and is unable, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself/herself of the protection of that country'.
The Syrian war, violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and conflict in South Sudan have caused some of the biggest refugee crises in our recent history. But people are forced to flee their homes because of a multitude of emergencies, not just conflict. With the climate crisis only worsening, it is expected that the number of people seeking refuge from natural disasters like drought, tsunamis and wildfires will continue to increase.
Children often bear the brunt of these emergencies. War, disasters and humanitarian emergencies can deprive children of their homes and security, leaving them open to abuse and extreme poverty. That's when they most need help.
Fatima, now 18, has spent over half her life as a refugee, because of a war that started in her homeland before she reached her tenth birthday. Her story - sadly familiar to many refugees - shows Fatima's resilience and the importance of helping refugees like her and her child.
After years of hardship, things began to turn around for Fatima when a friend told her about a World Vision Support Centre that offers women and girls psychological support and education sessions. The Centre also helps young refugees improve their social and professional skills. “I visited the Centre to see what services were provided, and registered in the young mothers’ club. It was a good experience and I learnt many things that strengthened my self-confidence,” Fatima says.
Emad is a case worker at the Centre who guides Fatima through the programme. She explains that it was Fatima’s idea to engage with other women and girls to put a stop to child marriage. “She wanted to send out a message to women who had an experience similar to her own, seeing what could they could do, what they had to offer to society, and what are the strengths women in this situation should concentrate on.”
I felt that I exist, that I am a female that exists in this world.
Fatima, 18
Syrian refugee
This work is making a difference, and children like Fatima and her son are being supported.
Meet some other children who have been supported by World Vision supporters.
2-year-old Minara is playful and giggly now, but not long ago, she was desperately thin and her mother, Jeheha, feared for her life. After five months of support from World Vision's trained community workers at the malnutrition treatment centre and trained community workers in their refugee camp in Bangladesh, Minara can look forward to a brighter, healthier future.
Elisha, 11, attends one of World Vision's child-friendly spaces in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which aims to reach over 5,000 children affected by conflict. Children were heavily recruited and those who avoided militia recruitment like Elisha have been traumatised by death and displacement, but these spaces help them be children again.
Ahmad*, 4, is one of the children living in a displaced camp in Northern Syria. Many children like him have had their lives and education disrupted by war. We worked on an education project to prevent children like Ahmad from losing out on education. The project trained 380 teachers and reached over 10,000 children.
*His name has been changed.
By supporting our emergency response work, you enable us to find children who arrive in refugee camps traumatised and searching for safety. You can help them survive, recover from trauma and rebuild a brighter future. From as little as £7, you can help us provide water purification kits, get food supplies to families newly displaced and provide education and a safety net for children like Fatima.
In 2017, over 720,000 Rohingya were forced to flee their country and settle in Bangladesh. Thanks to supporters, we're providing a safe environment for children in the camps, improving tents and shelters so they can withstand monsoons and building facilities to provide clean water and toilets.
Refugee camps are hard places to live. Many people are unable to earn an income, and struggle to provide regular meals for their families. With your support, we can ensure that refugees living in camps like these families from South Sudan have access to food, resources and training so that they can produce their own food in the long term.
Being displaced is often scary, and always disruptive to a child's life. To protect their futures, we work to make sure children still get access to a good education. To improve their present, we run child-friendly spaces, like the above in Gaza, where children can play games, take part in sporting activities and, where needed, receive psychological support to work through their trauma.
