Start page / Nu kan Fatoumata drömma om en framtid

Now Fatoumata can dream of a future

12-year-old Fatoumata had to build a new life in a refugee camp far from home. Her dream is to one day return home and work as a midwife.

- We had to leave everything. Our village, our school and our home. It happened so fast and I didn't get any of my things. No clothes, no toys, not even my birth certificate," says Fatoumata.

In Mali, the security crisis since 2012 has affected the lives of thousands of children. Fatoumata is one of them. When her school closed after terrorist attacks, her family chose to leave their home village in the hope of finding a safer life.

When my school closed, I was very sad. I could no longer go to my school at home or see my classmates.

Fatoumata, 12 years old.

Fatoumata writes on the chalkboard at school.

Fatoumata is standing in the schoolyard with her arm around a friend.

Life in the refugee camp

Fatoumata lives with her family in Ségou, in a refugee camp located in western Mali. Growing up in a refugee camp is tough.

- The whole family sleeps together in a small room. There is no place to be alone," says Fatoumata.

The lack of food means that many people can never eat enough. People are crowded into small spaces and the lack of sanitation and clean water means that diseases spread easily. Many feel very unwell and the risk of abuse is high.

Difficult to start a new school

In the midst of the unrest, Fatoumata was able to go back to school, but the first years at her new school were also particularly tough. At school, Fatoumata was bullied by other children. This made it difficult to focus on her school work.

- They teased me about my looks and called me names. I was always alone and I had no friends," she says.

When Erikshjälpen started a children's rights club at Fatoumata's school, things changed. In the club, the children learned more about inclusion and the right to education, health and safety. And Fatoumata has finally found new friends and regained her motivation for school work.

- The school works well. My classmates are nice to me now, even though I was excluded at the beginning.

Fatoumata sits at her desk, smiling and looking down at her textbook in a classroom full of children.

Fatoumata, 12 years old, goes to school in Bagadadji Sud in western Mali.

The dream of a better future

Fatoumata is one of many children in Mali growing up with fear, hunger and insecurity. But thanks to the opportunity to stay in school, she has hope for a better future.

- It was difficult at the beginning but school work is going well now, which makes me happy. At the same time, I'm still afraid of many things... Afraid of being attacked by armed men and of being assaulted.

Although Fatoumata still fears the violence around her, she has a dream: to return to her village when peace comes and work as a midwife.

I want to become a midwife. After school, I want to return home and help moms through a safe pregnancy and birth.

Fatoumata, 12 years old.

In Mali, more than 400,000 people are currently displaced within the country, many of them under the age of 18. They are fleeing because of unrest and hunger.

In 2024, more than 1,700 schools were closed due to the threat of terrorist attacks. This means that 520,000 children have lost their education and a safe place to be.

In the regions of Ségou, San and Koulikoro, Erikshjälpen works to strengthen children's rights by enabling education for refugee children. Here, children get access to, among other things: