Fadala’s Story, Algeria
Photo by UNHCR/D. Al Achi/2014.
I was born in the Sahrawi refugee camps, in the South of Algeria. I had the opportunity to study and live in Spain for 14 years. Then I found a job with a Spanish NGO in the Sahrawi refugee camps so I decided to go back.
I am working with Solidaridad Internacional as a community outreach worker. I am in charge of awareness raising efforts about the use of water. When I arrived here, it was almost a cultural shock. The situation in the camps is extremely difficult. Especially for the youth. There are no opportunities here. If there were no NGOs here, many youths would be out of jobs and would not be able to support their families.
If I did not find this job, I would have been at home. We cannot keep on waiting to receive humanitarian assistance without doing anything. Until when? The humanitarian assistance will not last forever.
I am very concerned about the dependency of Sahrawis to foreign aid and I would like to be a motor for a change in my community. My dream is to work one day as a journalist, to be able to convey the difficult life conditions my people are going through.
