Amina lived with her mother, Mrs. Bimbo, in a small village surrounded by lush green forest and winding rivers. Mrs. Bimbo was a kind and gentle soul, loved by all in the village for her warmth and generosity. Amina and Mrs. Bimbo shared a special bond and their days were filled with laughter and adventure. They would spend hours exploring the forest, collecting herbs and berries, and helping their neighbours with their daily chores, all the while dreaming of a garden of their own. One day, a very wealthy man named Mr. Peter moved from the city of Kisangani in Democratic Republic of Congo, to Amina and her mother’s village. One Monday morning, when all of the other children were in school, Mr. Peter saw Amina fetching water from a nearby stream. Wasn’t she supposed to be in school, Mr. Peter thought to himself. But he did not say anything. On Tuesday, when all the students were supposed to be in school, Amina was once again at home doing chores. “Hello little girl, how are you?” asked Mr Peter. “I am fine sir,” Amina responded with surprise. Amina was not comfortable talking to strangers and she stepped backward, almost making her way indoors. Mr. Peter said, “Wait, l don’t bite. I am just here to have a word with you.” Amina smiled nervously. “Why are you not in school?” Mr. Peter asked. “My parents did not have money to put me in school, sir.” Mr. Peter shook his head and asked where Amina’s parents were, and if they were inside the house. Just then, Mrs. Bimbo came out of the house and greeted Mr. Peter. “I heard you do not have money to put this young girl in school,” Mr. Peter said, “I am here to help.” He continued, “Can you please allow her to follow me to the city where I will take full responsibility for her education?” The truth was that Mrs. Bimbo was struggling to make ends meet. Amina’s father had passed away when she was just a baby and Mrs. Bimbo worked tirelessly to provide for her daughter’s needs. Despite her efforts, the two of them often went to bed with empty stomachs. Mrs. Bimbo requested of Mr. Peter, “Sir, why not give her the education here in this village, sir? She is my only hope and I would not want her to be far away from me. I don’t want anything to happen to her.” Mr. Peter promised, “Don’t worry, I give you my word she will be fine.” Mrs. Bimbo agreed and, after two days, Mr. Peter and Amina made their way to Lagos, the biggest city in Nigeria. They arrived at noon and Amina was very happy when she got to Mr. Peter’s beautiful house where his wife, Madam Sophia, was waiting. “Who are you?” Madam Sophia asked with an accusatory look. “Good evening, madam,” Amina said. “And what is good about the evening?” Madam Sophia retorted sharply. Immediately, Mr. Peter stepped in. “That is Amina, the little girl whom I was telling you about over the phone while I was in the village.” “Yes, what about her? Did you tell me you would bring her with you? What is she doing here?” Madam Sophia asked with anger. Mr. Peter explained that he offered to help Amina and provide her with an education because her family was in need, and she and her mother was always kind and generous. The next day, Amina woke up to see a pile of dirty clothes. “Go and wash those clothes in the basket!” Madame Sophia demanded. The demands did not stop. Amina was not fine, but she was determined to manage the situation so that she could finish her education. Eventually, Amina paid off her school fees and was able to return home. She returned to a surprise. Mr Peter had bought a garden plot surrounded by lush green forest for Amina and her mother. They were able to expand their garden, hire helpers and start a small workshop to produce jam, sauces and spices. Mrs. Bimbo was overjoyed to see her daughter’s dream to be an agricultural entrepreneur taking shape. She had always known Amina was special, but now the whole world was recognizing her talent and hard work. Two years later, a representative from a prestigious agricultural university visited their garden. He was impressed by Amina’s innovative techniques, sustainable practices, and high-quality products. He offered Amina a full scholarship to study agricultural science, which she happily accepted. With Mr. Peter’s help and her own determination, Amina changed her family’s life from nothing to something. She never forgot his kindness. This story was peer reviewed by: Iago Macknik-Conde
refugee
My Hustle, by Rebecca Radjabu Resca
My story starts when my parents, my sisters and I decided to move from the Democratic Republic of Congo in the province of Kisangani, to Uganda. We found ourselves in Nakivale refugee camp due to wars in our country. After having lived in Nakivale for three years, when I was thirteen years old, a thief came to our house to steal our property. The thieves entered the house through the window of our parents’ bedroom. As they went to leave, after they my dad heard them and said “hey you guys!” When they heard him, they decided to make Dad quiet by hitting him on the head with a big piece of tree. The thieves were caught by scouts who were in place to protect the neighborhood, and then taken to the police station to be punished by the law. My dad was taken to the hospital. I sat under the tree in our compound crying. I wondered how I was going to get school fees for myself if my father didn’t recover quickly. While I was crying under the tree, my two younger sisters, Esther and Plamedie, came to me and said “sister be strong, our dad is gonna be fine.” I responded, “my sisters, who is gonna feed us and pay for our school fees if our father doesn’t recover quickly? Yes they supply us food, but it doesn’t mean that we will everyday live with posho and beans. Our bodies need a balanced diet.” After going to school without paying my school fees, the teacher chased me while my dad was still ill in the hospital. I decided to leave school and started to steal from others in order to get a small amount of cash for domestic use. One day on my way to church, I met with a girl dressed in a yellow dress. “Hello,” said the girl. “Hi, how are you doing today?” I replied and continued on my way. She called after me, “Sorry sister, do you remember me,” she said. I told her I did not. She then said, “I am Mary Ngongo Djuma, your best friend from Kisangani, whom you were studying with.” Hoof! I heavenly breathed and directly hugged her tightly, not willing to leave her again. Because I was rushing to church, we decided to leave each other for that time and agreed to meet after church service. When I found her again, we talked a lot and reminded each other about our lives in the DRC. “Do you still remember teacher Marcel?” asked Mary. “Yes, why not,” I responded. “That is the teacher who made me cry in school that I will never forget in my life.” “What happened again?” Mary asked. “I’m not recalling what he did to you.” “Oh my goodness! Really, Mary? I see that your memory is not good!” I laughed. “He refused me to move to go to the toilet” I reminded Mary. “Then Marcel said, ‘Rebecca can you stand,’ and I said no through my building tears as the rest of the class looked at me with laughter in their eyes. “Oh I had completely forgotten about that funny moment,” Mary said. “I am so sorry Rebecca!” She continued, “I also laughed at you that day, but it was only for fun.” I could laugh about it too as I reminisced with Mary. We talked for a while longer about our previous lives in DRC and we agreed to meet again soon. After this day, Mary and I met regularly, and became close friends again. During this time, my dad finally recovered and continued with his work. One day, about six months later, my younger brother, Messiah, the third born, came to me and said “sister, dad said that you got a chance to be paid school fees at a private school in Mbarara town!” I replied, “You fool stray cat! Can you stop dreaming about that?” While I scolded my brother about his silly ideas, I saw my dad and mum coming happily down the path. They exclaimed, “Congratulations our dear! You and your friend Mary Ngongo Djuma have a high chance of being paid school fees in Mbarara town!” I couldn’t believe my brother was right! I never waited for my parents to finish explaining. I rushed to Mary’s home so that we could enjoy that moment happily together. After one week, we packed to leave Nakivale refugee settlement and go to Mbarara town. My mother and my siblings were crying for me to leave them. Since we were all born we had never stayed far away from each other. Mary and I reached Mbarara town, and started schooling after resting for about a week. Mary and I enjoyed school together in Mbarara town. We loved the environment and the town and our studies were going well. After studying there for two years, I had a very serious accident on a motorcycle. Due to going and returning everyday because of a health condition, I was required to be a day scholar. I used to suffer from asthma so the school administration decided to pay for me to take a bodaboda for coming and returning to support my body condition. After my accident, when my parents were informed, my mum was almost dying because of her love for me. Mary was also in shock seeing her friend in that condition. My mother and father came to Mbarara and found me on an oxygen supplier to keep me alive. After three weeks, I recovered and started schooling again. After two weeks back at school, the president of the Republic of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, announced that we were all in lock down due to COVID-19. We all were told to return to our homes. One day when I was sitting home, Mary came and told me, “My dear I have a place where we can try to sell a few things so we can be able to afford something of our
Interview with Robert
Thank you for sharing this powerful story with us. Could you tell us about what inspired you to write it? I chose to write an inspirational story, and I hope my readers will understand that a friend is a God given gift, and that despite the life we live, we are capable of doing something and making changes. What messages do you hope your readers will take away from your story? I want the readers to understand that, with friendship, hard work and love, plus unity as a team, we can overcome hard times and build a better life together and overcome the challenges we face in our lives as young people. As young people, there is still hope for the future, the key is just love and unity. What, from your perspective, is the point of storytelling? Why do we tell stories, what do they do for us, and what purpose do they serve? Through telling stories we can explore our own identities and values, and connect with others on a shared human experience. Did your story change over the course of your participation in the storytelling workshops? How? My story was a confusing narration about me and my friend John in the beginning. I had no clear way to make it seem real or easy to understand, but after the storytelling program I had a chance to develop my story. Through the sessions I went through together with my friends at the Elite Humanitarian Service Team I gained the skills and understanding to show my story rather than tell it. I also learned to include ethnographic interview material to help narrate my story. This was not easy to achieve but I appreciate the hard work of my mentors, especially Madam Laura Moran and Isharah Theobarh Barhame in helping me to do so. I also want to thank my peer reviewer who is now my friend, Mr Maximillian Kane, for his hard work and dedication to making my story the best it could be through his feedback and suggestions. I am really happy for all of the sessions that helped me to grow as a storyteller and writer. How does your story offer an alternative path, point of view, or way forward? How does it speak to the possibility of an otherwise? My story offers a fresh idea by emphasizing resilience, friendship and community in refugee lives. It challenges the usual narrative of despair in refugee camps. My story shows how hardship can inspire leadership and responsibilities. After John loses his parents, he takes responsibility for his siblings, proving that even in difficult moments young people can shape their destinies. Our friendship grows into a partnership of support, by showing the power of solidarity in achieving personal and collective goals together as friends. My story also redefines typical refugee narratives by portraying refugees as resourceful, creative contributors to their communities. By emphasizing teamwork in football and collaboration in brick-making, it demonstrates how small steps can lead to significant change among young people. By showing how young people seek possibility, agency and unity in creating new opportunities even in the hardest of times, my story speaks to the “possibility of an otherwise.”
