Nur, the Aspiring Doctor
14 years ago, in Somalia, Nur (16) encountered an ordeal that resulted in her seven siblings and her mother fleeing to Kenya´s Dadaab refugee camp.
Life as a refugee
Nur and her family are registered as refugees. They have no livelihood support and they only depend on the rationed food by the World Food Programme and also from what her mother gets from her tie-dye business. Luckily, the International Rescue Committee provided Nur with adult diapers to help her with her health condition.
However, being in a refugee camp has not been easy for Nur.
Going to school has been a chore since other children would discriminate against her because of her condition, which pushed her to stop going altogether. The discrimination spread further to the block where Nur and her family stay and as a result, she opted to stay inside when other children are playing. The situation was so bad that Nur no longer wanted to live in a refugee camp. In spite of this, Nur had made a few friends from her block who convinced her to run away to bordering Sudan, stating that life was so much better there.
Intercepted
Nur´s friends connected her with the people who would help them migrate. They managed to illegally take Nur to Juba in Sudan. Luckily, before she was taken further away, a couple of Somali men identified her and they realised she was being trafficked. They brought the child to Nairobi in July 2021. They reported the matter to the police and the child was taken to the Refugee Consortium of Kenya and Refugee Affairs Secretariat office who later facilitated her movements back to Dadaab.
Receiving help
Nur´s mother reached out to Terre des Hommes Foundation. She has since received support from the foundation and from her family as well. Furthermore, she has been engaged in various counselling sessions which she has been attending without fail. The project team still continue to follow up on Nur´s situation and the counselling sessions are ongoing. Presently, Nur is more content. She accepted to go back to school (although a different one) and she says she is comfortable and that no one makes fun of her. ¨Thinking of going back to school and wearing school uniform just like my peers made me regain my strength of living in the community. All the assistance accorded to me and my family is very important in my life as well as my family and I will be very confident of sharing any other protection concern I do feel.’’ Nur explained.
The family has been supported with cash-based intervention and family therapy. As for her future dreams, Nur aspires to be a doctor. Having dealt with her health situation, she says she wants to help treat people in her community who have medical conditions as well.