Reporting
“There was war everywhere”, the moving testimony of Rehema, a refugee in Nakivale in Uganda
In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the east of the country has been plagued by armed conflicts for almost thirty years.
In recent years in particular the province of North Kivu.
In Sudan, the country has been at war for almost a year now.
Violence which regularly causes population movements, particularly in Uganda, a country which has a very favorable refugee reception policy.
Every week, new refugees arrive at Nakivale, one of the largest and oldest camps in the country.
One of the challenges is to educate all these children.
On the ground, humanitarian actors have made it a priority, especially in secondary schools.
They particularly encourage young women and even young mothers to return to school despite the difficulties.
RFI met one of them.
Listen - 01:38
Rehema is a young mother, Congolese refugee and student at secondary school in Nakivale, Uganda, March 7, 2024. © RFI / Paulina Zidi
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Report from Nakivale Secondary School by our special correspondent in Uganda,
Paulina Zidi
The rain didn't stop Rehema from coming to school this morning: "
It's difficult, it's really difficult, but I have no choice, I want to study
."
At 21, the young woman is one of the rare mothers who study in Nakivale and in a small voice, she tells us about her refugee journey: the flight from eastern Congo, a little over ten years ago.
"
There was war everywhere,"
she said,
"we couldn't... we couldn't sleep, I was with my mother and we had to flee, people came with us, but everyone else disappeared and we couldn't no longer knew where they were
.
Arriving in Uganda, her mother abandoned her, so she worked to pay for her studies.
“
It hurt me so much.
”
And a little over two years ago, a man abused her: “
I had a difficult experience, because I remember that I was raped and I became pregnant, but they did not want to expose me , for fear of being arrested.
And it all hurt me so much, I had no one to support me, no one to help me.
Maybe I should have filed a complaint, but I don't even know the name of the baby's father.
»
With tears in her eyes, she talks about her difficult birth which prevented her from moving for several months and her life as a mother without a family.
She highlights her desire to return to school: “
I have a dream, I have the feeling that I must become someone in my life, I must study and become a lawyer
”.
To help the most vulnerable, like her: “
And if I can’t do it
,” she adds, “
maybe my son will one day
.”
Read alsoDrop in aid in Uganda: malnutrition increases in refugee camps
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