Why I fight for the education of refugee girls (like me) | Mary Maker

Translator: Polona Ramšak Reviewer: Nika Kotnik

We do not choose where to be born.

Ne izberemo si sami, kje se rodimo.

We do not choose who our parents are.

Ne izberemo si svojih staršev.

But we do choose how we are going to live our lives.

Si pa izberemo, kako bomo živeli.

I did not choose to be born in South Sudan,

Nisem si izbrala, da sem se rodila v Južnem Sudanu,

a country rife with conflict.

deželi, polni konfliktov.

I did not choose my name --

Nisem si izbrala svojega imena,

Nyiriak,

Nyiriak,

which means "war."

ki pomeni 'vojna'.

I've always rejected it

Vedno sem ga zavračala

and all the legacy it was born into.

in prav tako vso dediščino, ki jo prinaša.

I choose to be called Mary.

Izbrala sem si, da me kličejo Mary.

As a teacher, I've stood in front of 120 students,

Kot učiteljica sem stala pred 120 učenci,

so this stage does not intimidate me.

tako da me ta oder ne plaši.

My students come from war-torn countries.

Moji učenci prihajajo iz držav, uničenih zaradi vojn.

They're so different from each other,

Zelo so si različni,

but they have one thing in common:

a imajo eno skupno stvar:

they fled their homes in order to stay alive.

zbežali so od doma, da bi preživeli.

Some of them belong to parents back home in South Sudan

Nekateri imajo starše, ki so še vedno doma v Južnem Sudanu,

who are killing each other

ki ubijajo drug drugega,

because they belong to a different tribe or they have a different belief.

ker pripadajo različnim plemenom ali imajo drugačna prepričanja.

Others come from other African countries devastated by war.

Drugi prihajajo iz drugih afriških držav, uničenih od vojne.

But when they enter my class, they make friends,

A ko vstopijo v mojo učilnico, se spoprijateljijo,

they walk home together,

skupaj hodijo iz šole domov,

they do their homework together.

skupaj delajo domačo nalogo.

There is no hatred allowed in my class.

V moji učilnici sovraštvo ni dovoljeno.

My story is like that of so many other refugees.

Moja zgodba je enaka zgodbam mnogih drugih beguncev.

The war came when I was still a baby.

Vojna se je začela, ko sem bila še dojenček.

And my father,

Moj oče,

who had been absent in most of my early childhood,

ki ni bil prisoten večino mojega zgodnjega otroštva,

was doing what other men were doing:

je počel isto kot vsi drugo moški:

fighting for the country.

boril se je za domovino.

He had two wives and many children.

Imel je dve ženi in veliko otrok.

My mother was his second wife,

Moja mama je bila njegova druga žena.

married to him at the age of 16.

Z njim se je poročila pri šestnajstih.

This is simply because my mother came from a poor background,

Tako je bilo, ker moja mama izhaja iz revne družine

and she had no choice.

in ni imela nobene druge izbire.

My father, on the other hand, was rich.

Moj oče pa je bil bogat.

He had many cows.

Imel je veliko krav.

Gunshots were the order of the day.

Streljanje je bilo na dnevnem redu.

My community was constantly under attack.

Moja skupnost je bila nenehno napadena.

Communities would fight each other as they took water along the Nile.

Skupnosti so se borile druga proti drugi, ko so ob Nilu zajemale vodo.

But that was not all.

A to ni bilo vse.

Planes would drop the spinning and terrifying bombs

Letala so odmetavala vrteče in strašne bombe,

that chopped off people's limbs.

ki so ljudem sekale ude.

But the most terrifying thing for every single parent

A najstrašnejša stvar za vsakega starša je bila

was to see their children being abducted and turned into young soldiers.

videti svojega otroka ugrabljenega in spremenjenega v mladega vojaka.

My mother dug a trench

Moja mama je skopala jarek,

that soon became our home.

ki je kmalu postal naš dom.

But yet, we did not feel protected.

A vseeno se nismo počutili varne.

She had to flee in search of a safe place for us.

Morala je pobegniti, da bi našla varno mesto za nas.

I was four years old, and my younger sister was two.

Imela sem štiri leta, moja mlajša sestra pa dve.

We joined a huge mass of people,

Pridružile smo se veliki skupini ljudi

and together we walked for many agonizing days

in skupaj smo hodile mnogo mučnih dni,

in search of a secure place.

da bi našle varen kraj.

But we could barely rest

A komaj smo si malo odpočile,

before we were attacked again.

smo bili spet napadeni.

I remember my mother was pregnant,

Spomnim se, da je bila mama noseča,

when she would take turns to carry me and my younger sister.

ko je izmenjaje nosila mene in mojo mlajšo sestro.

We finally made it across the Kenyan border, yes.

Končno nam je uspelo prečkati mejo s Kenijo.

But that was the longest journey that I have ever had in my whole life.

A to je bila najdaljša pot v mojem življenju.

My feet were raw with blisters.

Moja stopala so bila polna svežih mehurjev.

To our surprise,

Na naše veliko presenečenje

we found other family members who had fled into the camp earlier on,

smo našle druge družinske člane, ki so že prej pobegnili v kamp,

where you all are today,

kjer ste danes,

the Kakuma camp.

v kamp Kakuma.

Now, I want you all to be very quiet just for a moment.

Zdaj pa bi rada, da ste za trenutek vsi čisto tiho.

Do you hear that?

Slišite?

The sound of silence.

Zvok tišine.

No gunshots.

Nobenega streljanja.

Peace, at last.

Končno mir.

That was my first memory of this camp.

To je moj prvi spomin iz tega kampa.

When you move from a war zone

Ko se preseliš iz vojnega območja

and come to a secure place like Kakuma,

in prideš na varen kraj, kot je Kakuma,

you've really gone far.

si res prišel daleč.

I only stayed in the camp for three years, though.

Tu sem sicer ostala samo tri leta.

My father, who had been absent in most of my early childhood,

Moj oče, ki je bil odsoten večino mojega ranega otroštva,

came back into my life.

se je vrnil v moje življenje.

And he organized for me to move with my uncle

Organiziral je, da sem se lahko preselila k svojemu stricu

to our family in Nakuru.

k naši družini v Nakuru.

There, I found my father's first wife,

Tam sem našla očetovo prvo ženo,

my half sisters and my half brothers.

svoje polsestre in polbrate.

I got enrolled in school.

Vpisala sem se v šolo.

I remember my first day in school -- I could sing and laugh again --

Spomnim se svojega prvega šolskega dne - spet sem lahko pela in se smejala -

and my first set of school uniforms, you bet.

in moje prve šolske uniforme.

It was amazing.

Bilo je čudovito.

But then I came to realize

Potem pa sem se zavedla,

that my uncle did not find it fit for me to go to school,

da se mojemu stricu ni zdelo prav, da hodim v šolo,

simply because I was a girl.

preprosto zato, ker sem bila deklica.

My half brothers were his first priority.

Moji polbratje so bili njegova prioriteta.

He would say, "Educating a girl is a waste of time."

Govoril je: "Izobraževanje deklet je izguba časa."

And for that reason, I missed many days of school,

In zato sem manjkala veliko dni v šoli,

because the fees were not paid.

ker šolnina ni bila plačana.

My father stepped in

Moj oče je pristopil

and organized for me to go to boarding school.

in organiziral, da sem šla v internat.

I remember the faith that he put in me over the couple of years to come.

Spomnim se vere, ki jo je vtisnil vame v naslednjih nekaj letih.

He would say, "Education is an animal that you have to overcome.

Govoril je: "Izobraževanje je žival, ki jo moraš premagati.

With an education, you can survive.

Z izobrazbo lahko preživiš.

Education shall be your first husband."

Izobrazba naj bo tvoj prvi mož."

And with these words came in his first big investment.

In s temi besedami je sprožil svojo prvo naložbo.

I felt lucky!

Počutila sem se srečno!

But I was missing something:

A nekaj sem pogrešala:

my mother.

svojo mamo.

My mother had been left behind in the camp,

Moja mama je ostala v kampu

and I had not seen her since I left it.

in nisem je videla, odkar sem odšla.

Six years without seeing her was really long.

Šest let, ko je nisem videla, je bilo res dolgih.

I was alone,

Bila sem sama,

in school,

v šoli,

when I heard of her death.

ko sem slišala za njeno smrt.

I've seen many people back in South Sudan

V Južnem Sudanu sem videla veliko ljudi,

lose their lives.

ki so izgubili življenje.

I've heard from neighbors

Od sosedov sem slišala,

lose their sons, their husbands,

kako so izgubili svoje sinove, može,

their children.

otroke.

But I never thought that that would ever come into my life.

Nikoli pa nisem pomislila, da se bo kaj takega zgodilo meni.

A month earlier, my stepmother,

Mesec dni prej je moja mačeha,

who had been so good to me back in Nakuru, died first.

ki je bila v Nakuruju tako dobra z mano, umrla prva.

Then I came to realize that after giving birth to four girls,

Takrat sem se zavedla, da je po tem, ko je rodila štiri deklice,

my mother had finally given birth to something

moja mama končno rodila nekaj,

that could have made her be accepted into the community --

zaradi česar bi lahko bila v skupnosti sprejeta -

a baby boy,

dečka,

my baby brother.

mojega bratca.

But he, too,

A tudi on

joined the list of the dead.

se je zapisal na seznam umrlih.

The most hurting part for me

Najbolj boleče zame

was the fact that I wasn't able to attend my mother's burial.

je bilo dejstvo, da nisem mogla na mamin pogreb.

I wasn't allowed.

Ni mi bilo dovoljeno.

They said her family did not find it fit

Rekli so, da se njeni družini ne zdi primerno,

for her children, who are all girls, to attend her burial,

da bi njeni otroci, sama dekleta, prisostvovali pogrebu,

simply because we were girls.

preprosto zato, ker so dekleta.

They would lament to me and say,

Objokovali so jo pred menoj in rekli:

"We are sorry, Mary, for your loss.

"Hudo nam je, Mary, za tvojo izgubo.

We are sorry that your parents never left behind any children."

Hudo nam je, da tvoji starši za seboj niso pustili nič otrok."

And I would wonder:

Jaz pa sem se čudila:

What are we?

Kaj pa smo me?

Are we not children?

Ali me nismo otroci?

In the mentality of my community,

V mentaliteti moje skupnosti

only the boy child counted.

šteje samo otrok moškega spola.

And for that reason, I knew this was the end of me.

Zato sem vedela, da je to zame konec.

But I was the eldest girl.

A bila sem najstarejša med dekleti

I had to take care of my siblings.

in morala sem skrbeti za svoje sestre.

I had to ensure they went to school.

Morala sem poskrbeti, da so hodile v šolo.

I was 13 years old.

Stara sem bila trinajst let.

How could I have made that happen?

Le kako mi je uspelo?

I came back to the camp to take care of my siblings.

Vrnila sem se v kamp, da bi skrbela za sestre.

I've never felt so stuck.

Nikoli se nisem počutila tako ujeto.

But then, one of my aunts, Auntie Okoi,

Potem pa se je ena izmed mojh tet, teta Okoi,

decided to take my sisters.

odločila vzeti moje sestre.

My father sent me money from Juba for me to go back to school.

Oče mi je posla denar iz Jube, da bi se vrnila v šolo.

Boarding school was heaven, but it was also so hard.

Internatska šola je bila nebesa, a tudi težka.

I remember during the visiting days when parents would come to school,

Spomnim se dni obiskov, ko so starši prihajali v šolo,

and my father would miss.

mojega očeta pa ni bilo.

But when he did come,

Ko pa je le prišel,

he repeated the same faith in me.

mi je vedno znova vbijal isto vero.

This time he would say,

Tokrat je govoril:

"Mary, you cannot go astray,

"Mary, ne moreš zaiti na stranpoti,

because you are the future of your siblings."

ker si prihodnost svojih sestra."

But then, in 2012,

Potem, leta 2012,

life took away the only thing that I was clinging on.

mi je življenje vzelo edino stvar, ki sem se je oklepala.

My father died.

Umrl mi je oče.

My grades in school started to collapse,

Moje ocene so se začele nižati

and when I sat for my final high school exams in 2015,

in na zaključnih izpitih v srednji šoli leta 2015

I was devastated to receive a C grade.

sem bila pretresena, ko sem dobila oceno dobro.

OK, I keep telling students in my class,

No prav, svojim učencem pri pouku vedno govorim:

"It's not about the A's; it's about doing your best."

"Ne gre za petice, gre za to, da se potrudiš po svojih najboljših močeh."

That was not my best.

To ni bilo največ, kar sem zmogla.

I was determined.

Bila sem odločena.

I wanted to go back and try again.

Želela sem se vrniti in poskusiti še enkrat.

But my parents were gone.

A bila sem brez staršev.

I had no one to take care of me,

Nikogar nisem imela, ki bi skrbel zame

and I had no one to pay that fee.

in plačal šolnino.

I felt so hopeless.

Počutila se se brezupno.

But then, one of my best friends,

Potem pa me je ena mojih najboljših prijateljic,

a beautiful Kenyan lady, Esther Kaecha,

prelepa kenijska dama Esther Kaecha,

called me during this devastating moment,

poklicala v tem strašnem trenutku

and she was like, "Mary, you have a strong will.

in rekla: "Mary, ti imaš močno voljo.

And I have a plan, and it's going to work."

Jaz pa imam načrt, ki bo deloval."

OK, when you're in those devastating moments, you accept anything, right?

Ko si v takem težkem trenutku, sprejmeš kar koli, kajne?

So the plan was, she organized some travel money

Načrt je bil, da nama bo dobila nekaj potovalnega denarja,

for us to travel to Anester Victory Girls High School.

da bova odpotovali v srednjo šolo za dekleta Anester Victory.

I remember that day so well.

Tistega dne se dobro spomnim.

It was raining when we entered the principal's office.

Deževalo je, ko sva vstopili v ravnateljevo pisarno.

We were shaking like two chickens that had been rained on,

Tresli sva se kot mokra piščanca

and we looked at him.

in gledali sva ga.

He was asking, "What do you want?"

Vprašal naju je: "Kaj želita?"

And we looked at him with the cat face.

Pogledali sva ga z milima obrazoma.

"We just want to go back to school."

"Radi bi šli nazaj v šolo."

Well, believe it or not, he not only paid our school fees

Verjemite ali ne, ne le da je plačal najino šolnino,

but also our uniform and pocket money for food.

ampak tudi najini uniformi in žepnino za hrano.

Clap for him.

Zaploskajmo mu.

(Applause)

(aplavz)

When I finished my high school career,

Ko sem končala s srednješolsko kariero,

I became the head girl.

sem postala glavna.

And when I sat for the KCSE for a second time,

In ko sem drugič opravljala srednješolske izpite,

I was able to receive a B minus. Clap.

mi je uspelo dobiti minus prav dobro. Zaploskajte.

(Applause)

(aplavz)

Thank you.

Hvala.

So I really want to say thank you to Anester Victory, Mr. Gatimu

Zato bi se res rada zahvalila šoli Anester Victory, g. Gatimuju

and the whole Anester fraternity for giving me that chance.

in vsej anesterski bratovščini, ker so mi dali priložnost.

From time to time,

Tu in tam

members of my family will insist that my sister and I should get married

člani moje družine vztrajajo, da bi se jaz in sestre morale poročiti,

so that somebody will take care of us.

da bo nekdo skrbel za nas.

They will say,

Rečejo:

"We have a man for you."

"Moškega imamo zate."

I really hate the fact that people took us as property rather than children.

Res sovražim dejstvo, da so nas ljudje jemali kot lastnino, ne pa kot otroke.

Sometimes they will jokingly say,

Včasih se pošalijo:

"You are going to lose your market value

"Izgubljala boš svojo tržno vrednost,

the more educated you become."

bolj ko boš izobražena."

But the truth is,

A resnica je,

an educated woman is feared in my community.

da se v moji skupnosti izobraženih žensk bojijo.

But I told them, this is not what I want.

A povedala sem jim, da to ni to, kar želim.

I don't want to get kids at 16 like my mother did.

Pri šestnajstih nočem imeti otrok kot moja mama.

This is not my life.

To ni moje življenje.

Even though my sisters and I are suffering,

Čeprav moje sestre in jaz trpimo,

there's no way we are heading in that direction.

nikakor ne gremo v to smer.

I refuse to repeat history.

Ne dovolim, da se zgodovina ponovi.

Educating a girl will create equal and stable societies.

Izobraževanje deklet bo ustvarilo enakopravne in stabilne družbe.

And educated refugees will be the hope

Izobraženi begunci bodo upanje,

of rebuilding their countries someday.

da bodo nekoč ponovno zgradili svoje države.

Girls and women have a part to play in this

Dekleta in žene igrajo v tem svojo vlogo

just as much as men.

prav tako kot moški.

Well, we have men in my family that encourage me to move on:

No, v moji družini imamo tudi moške, ki me vzpodbujajo, naj nadaljujem:

my half brothers and also my half sisters.

moji polbratje in tudi moje polsestre.

When I finished my high school career,

Ko sem končala srednjo šolo,

I moved my sisters to Nairobi, where they live with my stepsister.

sem sestre preselila v Nairobi, kjer zdaj živijo z mojo krušno sestro.

They live 17 people in a house.

Sedemnajst ljudi živi v eni hiši.

But don't pity us.

A ne pomilujte nas.

The most important thing is that they all get a decent education.

Najpomembneje je, da vse dobijo izobrazbo.

The winners of today

Današnji zmagovalci so

are the losers of yesterday,

včerajšnji poraženci,

but who never gave up.

ki se niso predali.

And that is who we are,

In to smo

my sisters and I.

moje sestre in jaz.

And I'm so proud of that.

Tako ponosna sem na to.

My biggest investment in life --

Moja največja investicija v življenju

(Applause)

(aplavz)

is the education of my sisters.

je izobrazba mojih sester.

Education creates an equal and fair chance for everyone to make it.

Izobrazba ustvarja enako in pošteno priložnost za vsakogar.

I personally believe education is not all about the syllabus.

Jaz osebno verjamem, da izobrazba ni le učni načrt.

It's about friendship.

Je prijateljstvo.

It's about discovering our talents.

Je odkrivanje novih talentov.

It's about discovering our destiny.

Je odkrivanje usode.

I will, for example, not forget the joy that I had

Nikoli ne bom, na primer, pozabila veselja, ki sem ga občutila,

when I first had singing lessons in school,

ko sem prvič v šoli imela uro petja,

which is still a passion of mine.

ki je še vedno moja strast.

But I wouldn't have gotten that

A tega ne bi dobila

anywhere else.

nikjer drugje.

As a teacher, I see my classroom as a laboratory

Kot učiteljica vidim svoj razred kot laboratorij,

that not only generates skills and knowledge

ki ne le poraja spretnosti in znanje,

but also understanding and hope.

ampak tudi razumevanje in upanje.

Let's take a tree.

Poglejmo drevo.

A tree may have its branches cut,

Drevesu lahko porežejo veje,

but give it water, and it will grow new branches.

a če mu damo vodo, bo pognalo nove veje.

For the child of war,

Za otroka iz vojne

an education can turn their tears of loss into a passion for peace.

lahko izobraževanje njihove solze izgube spremeni v strast do miru.

And for that reason, I refuse to give up on a single student in my class.

In zato ne bom obupala nad nobenim svojim učencem.

(Applause)

(aplavz)

Education heals.

Izobraževanje zdravi.

The school environment

Šolsko okolje nudi

gives you a focus to focus ahead.

fokus, da se lahko osredotočiš naprej.

Let's take it this way:

Poglejmo takole:

when you're busy solving mathematical equations,

ko napeto rešuješ matematične enačbe

and you are memorizing poetry,

in se na pamet učiš poezijo,

you forget the violence that you witnessed back home.

pozabiš na nasilje, ki si mu bil priča doma.

And that is the power of education.

In to je moč izobraževanja.

It creates this place for peace.

Ustvarja prostor za mir.

Kakuma is teeming with learners.

Kakuma je polna učencev.

Over 85,000 students are enrolled in schools here,

Več kot 85.000 jih je tu vpisanih v šole,

which makes up 40 percent of the refugee population.

kar je 40 odstotkov begunske populacije.

It includes children who lost years of education because of the war back home.

Vključuje otroke, ki so izgubili leta izobraževanja zaradi vojne doma.

And I want to ask you a question:

Rada bi vam zastavila vprašanje:

If education is about building a generation of hope,

če je izobraževanje ustvarjanje generacije upanja,

why are there 120 students packed in my classroom?

zakaj je v moji učilnici 120 učencev?

Why is it that only six percent of the primary school students

Zakaj le šest odstotkov osnovnošolcev

are making it to high school,

gre naprej v srednjo šolo,

simply because we do not have enough places for them?

ker zanje preprosto nimamo dovolj prostora?

And why is it that only one percent of the secondary school graduates

In zakaj le en odstotek tistih, ki končajo srednjo šolo,

are making it to university?

gre na univerzo?

I began by saying that I am a teacher.

Začela sem tako, da sem povedala, da sem učiteljica.

But once again, I have become a student.

A spet sem postala študentka.

In March, I moved to Rwanda

Marca sem se preselila v Ruando,

on a scholarship program called "Bridge2Rwanda."

ker sem dobila štipendijo z imenom Most v Ruando.

It prepares scholars for universities.

Strokovnjake pripravlja za univerze.

They are able to get a chance to compete for universities abroad.

Dobijo lahko priložnost tekmovati za univerze v tujini.

I am now having teachers telling me what to do,

Zdaj mi učitelji ukazujejo, kaj naj počnem,

instead of the other way round.

namesto da bi bilo obratno.

People are once again investing in me.

Ljudje spet investirajo vame.

So I want to ask you all to invest in young refugees.

Zato vas prosim, da vsi investirate v mlade begunce.

Think of the tree that we mentioned earlier.

Spomnite se drevesa, ki sem ga prej omenila.

We are the generation to plant it,

Mi smo generacija, ki ga sadimo,

so that the next generation can water it,

da ga bo naslednja lahko zalivala

and the one that follows will enjoy the shade.

in naslednja uživala v njegovi senci.

They will reap the benefits.

Oni bodo želi sadove.

And the greatest benefit of them all

In največja prednost je

is an education that will last.

trajna izobrazba.

Thank you.

Hvala.

(Applause)

(aplavz)