Saira’s story
To celebrate this year’s ‘International Day of the Girl Child’, I would like to share Saira’s story. She inspired me a lot and I hope she can inspire more refugee girls who may give up their dreams already.
By Eujin Byun, UNHCR Maban, South Sudan
Saira is 15 years old and a refugee in South Sudan’s Doro camp. She fled the conflict in Blue Nile, Sudan, in 2011 along with her family.
“I still remember the day we left our town. It was the 6th of September around four in the afternoon. The bombs fell into our town and burned everything around. We had to run all of a sudden. I grabbed my younger sister, Dinana, who was then two years old, and ran as fast as I could.
“I left behind my school certificates and books. I couldn’t carry anything but my little sister. We walked in the bush for five days in the bush. We had nothing to eat or drink. It was a tough for an 11-year-old kid like me…”
“I finished primary education here in the camp and I am still going to school. My parents are my best supporters. Many of my friends are already married and we are just teenagers…My father always encourages me to finish my studies and learn as much as I wish.”
Saira and her family started a new life in Doro. She was able to resume her studies when UNHCR and its partners opened the first of 23 schools in Maban camps.
“My father wants me to be a teacher who can inspire other refugee children and be a role model for them.”
“But I want to become a pilot so I can travel all over the world. I’ve learned that there are so many countries outside of Sudan and South Sudan. I want to visit them all. I think being a pilot is the best way to realize my dream – seeing the world beyond a refugee camp.”
