“FAR FROM HOME: The 13 worst refugee crises for girls.” Part 1

STORY 1

Meet the 17-year-old making sure refugee girls in Lebanon have access to education 

Bushra, 17, came to Lebanon five years ago with her father, mother, and eight siblings to escape the conflict in Syria. Her father, who has a law degree, now works selling vegetables. The family lives in a small, rundown rental. Determined not to fall behind on her studies, Bushra confronted challenges with Lebanon’s public school system and helped design a program now being implemented by CARE that supports the secondary education of 60 girls at risk of dropping out. She’ll serve as a mentor to help girls stay in school. This is her story, in her own words.

 “l was living a normal childhood like any other child my age. Suddenly something unbelievable destroyed all my dreams, my future — war.

I thought we would only stay in Lebanon for four months, so I decided not to enroll here. A year later, after having lost all hope of returning to my country, we started looking for schools. Unfortunately, I wasn’t accepted in any Lebanese public school. I had no choice but to attend an informal school. But that was OK. I was happy, it was an easy curriculum, we were all Syrians. I made lots of friends and got very good scores.

Four years later, we realized that the informal degree is not accredited in Lebanon and wouldn’t allow me to go to university. My friends and I were very afraid to lose our future. I got depressed and decided to leave school. But my mother, who believes in the importance of education, especially for girls, was very supportive. She convinced me to start grade nine in a public school. She spent three months negotiating and fighting with the school to get me in. I was finally accepted thanks to my mother’s efforts. The first year was very difficult. The school was far from home, the English classes were hard, and our home is small so I couldn’t focus on my studies. 

I also couldn’t register in afternoon homework support because we cannot afford the cost. But I was determined to achieve my goal and overcome all the challenges. I was memorizing new words every day. I used Google translate. I asked for my teachers’ support during breaks. I studied hard to succeed in the official exam. And I did! Now I’m in grade 12. My favorite topics are English and Biology.

It’s true that my grades have dropped compared to when I was in the informal school, but I don’t mind given that I’m still alive and I didn’t lose my future like other Syrian children. The harsh circumstances I went through didn’t break me. They made me into a stronger person.” 

STORY 2

One Venezuelan family’s journey to escape starvation

Like many Venezuelan girls, 7-year-old Salma fled a country where a near-worthless currency, an inflation rate that could reach 1,000,000 percent before year’s end, and a poverty rate approaching 90 percent have pushed food, medicine, and other necessities out of reach. Before fleeing Venezuela for Colombia, she survived for months on a single daily meal of rice and, if lucky, plantains. Salma’s grandfather Jose, 56, left Venezuela ahead of the family to find work. He slept at gas stations and relied on handouts from strangers for five months.

Malnutrition rates have soared in Venezuela, and mothers, themselves unable to find enough to eat, often are unable to breastfeed their babies. Many of those babies, born healthy, die because their moms and dads can’t find — or can’t afford — formula. Mothers camp overnight outside supermarkets to have any chance of buying the few items available; others have turned to trash to avoid starvation.

“People are fleeing because if they stay, they die,” says Dany Bahar of the Brookings Institution in a report from the Financial Times. “They die because they don’t get enough food to eat, they die because they get malaria and can’t get treatment, they die because they need dialysis and can’t get it.”

Some 2.3 million people have fled Venezuela, with as many as 5,000 more crossing the border every day.

STORY 3

How menstrual cups are helping build confidence among refugee girls in Uganda

Author: By Sophie Akongo

Two bedsheets and two sets of clothes. That’s all 20-year-old Viola Jackline was able to take with her on her arduous two-week trek by foot from South Sudan to Uganda. Violence in South Sudan drove Viola, her three siblings and their grandmother from their home. They witnessed killings and escaped gunshots. They faced, thirst, hunger, and sexual harassment from armed men before reaching the Ugandan border. 

The bed sheets allowed Viola and her family to sleep in the bush in a dark, camouflaged area. Her grandmother carried two saucepans to cook what little food they had along the way. Now they are trying to build a life in Uganda’s Imvepi refugee settlement, along with more than 100,000 other South Sudanese.

Among the many challenges faced by girls and women like Viola fleeing crises is access to the education and resources to manage their periods. Like other women and girls in the settlement, it was difficult for Viola to find money to buy pads. At times, she’s been forced to sell her food ration in order to buy a piece of cloth and a robe, which is torn and fitted to hold the cloth and then fastened around her waist. It’s a bulky and uncomfortable way for Viola and others to manage their menstrual cycles, but it’s often their only option.

Periods can make school stressful for female students who are uncomfortable and may not have all the information they need to know what’s going on with their bodies. Boys often tease girls when their uniforms show an outline of a pad or staining and go through their bags looking for menstrual supplies in order to make fun of them. The bullying caused Viola to have low self-esteem, disrupted her focus and isolated her from her schoolmates. One of Viola’s friends, Jenet, dropped out of school after being bullied about a stain on her uniform.

Last spring, Viola participated in a menstrual cup pilot at the settlement along with 100 other women and girls. The pilot, supported by European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), CARE, Oxfam, CERFORD and WoMena, trained the group on menstrual hygiene and the use of Ruby Cups, a healthier, more sustainable, and eco-friendly alternative to pads and tampons. Ruby cups are made from 100-percent soft, medical-grade silicone and are reusable for up to 10 years.

Learning to use the cup was more difficult than she anticipated, and Viola nearly gave up. But with the encouragement of her friends in the program, she stuck with it. She says the cup is much more comfortable than other methods, and because it’s reusable, she won’t have to look for money to buy cloth or pads.

While Viola was confident in using the Ruby Cup, family and neighbors had their doubts. Misperceptions in the community about the cup being a form of birth control or impacting a user’s virginity, among other beliefs, presented a challenge. Men play an important role in decision-making and help shape local perceptions. CARE worked to educate and train a select group of men, known locally as Role Model Men, about menstruation and how to support their wives, sisters, and daughters. Viola had several Role Model Men in her community who helped her family understand the importance of supporting Viola during her cycle and using the Ruby Cup.

Since she started using a menstrual cup, Viola’s noticed a change in her self-esteem and confidence. She now plays football, participates in youth meetings, and can walk long distances and attend class during her period without having to worry.

“I am comfortable and I have confidence,” she says.