Frontline News
© UNHCR/ K. Egziabher
Fowzia, a 16-year old
Somali refugee in Shedder refugee camp, gets ready for a new competition. “I have
always dreamed of becoming a world-class athlete" she says, "but I’m worried my
present situation would not allow me to pursue my childhood aspiration."
My dream of becoming a world class athlete
“I was born in chaotic Somalia 16 years ago – a Somalia that denied me the chance to play in peace like other children around the world. My parents wouldn’t let me leave our compound because of the uncertain situation in Mogadishu. Many innocent children were killed or injured by stray bullets while out playing. But I had to amuse myself by running around our compound with my brothers and sisters.”
“As I grew older, my fascination for running grew stronger. I participated in school competitions and won three races. In 2007 and 2008, I even represented Somalia at international competitions in Osaka, Istanbul, Khartoum and Addis Ababa. But the deteriorating security conditions in Mogadishu made life more and more difficult for our family of 12. Even worse, my father was attacked and severely injured. After this incident, we decided to seek asylum in Ethiopia in 2008. I was in Grade Eight before we fled Somalia, but I cannot study in the refugee camp because I am busy with domestic chores.”
“I have always dreamed of becoming a world-class athlete one day, but I’m worried my present situation will not allow me to pursue my childhood hopes.”
- Fowzia, a 16-year-old Somali refugee in Shedder camp, Ethiopia
Background info
More than 50,000 Somali refugees live in four different camps in south-east Ethiopia. Shedder refugee camp was opened in 2008 to shelter refugees fleeing from the renewed conflict in Somalia. Some 6,600 people stay there, in a semi-arid environment with limited access to wood and clean water. UNHCR is working to provide alternative energy sources and to guarantee access to clean water.
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Since the resumption of the violence in Mogadishu in May 2009, more than a quarter of a million people have fled their homes. Most of them have settled in other areas of Mogadishu or not far from the capital. Just $10 could change somebody's life.
