Pascaline and the zest for life

When appropriate facilities and services are put in place to receive and care for children who have suffered violence and trauma in humanitarian emergencies, they are able to recover their mental equilibrium, regain their self-confidence and take an active part in the life of their community.

This is the story of Pascaline, a 13-year-old internally displaced girl whose foot was injured in an attack on her village and who was abused. Thanks to her participation in psychosocial support activities in one of the JF-CPiE project’s child-friendly spaces, she has regained her zest for life.

Can you introduce yourself and tell us what you were doing before taking part in the project?

My name is Pascaline, I’m 13 years old and I’m from Arbinda, Burkina Faso. In 2020, hooded men came to our village and killed people, and we left the village after escaping the killings. That’s how we came to Kaya, without taking anything with us – my father, his 3 wives, my 11 brothers and sisters and me. I was walking normally before our village was attacked. It was during the flight after the attack that my right knee went out of place. Because I didn’t receive proper care, my right leg became deformed over time.  

When we arrived in Kaya, my foot always hurt and every time I was afraid, because I relived our escape from the village by having nightmares almost every night for several months. I couldn’t do anything and I didn’t want to go out or even play with the other children. When I gradually started to walk, my mother negotiated with a neighbour from the host community and I helped her with the housework for the sum of 5,000 CFA francs (less than 8 euros) a month. In the yard where I worked, my boss frequently insulted me, humiliated me and called me a bad and dirty girl. I couldn’t take the bullying and humiliation any more, so I had to give up the job. That’s when I started taking part in activities in the child-friendly space with my older sisters.

How did you hear about the project and what has changed in your life as a result? What have you achieved as a teenager thanks to the project?

Since 2022, the project has set up a child-friendly space in the reception site for internally displaced persons (IDPs) where my family and I live. At the beginning, project workers went round the PDI households to inform the parents and invite the children to use the space. Personally, I wasn’t interested in going there, but my brothers and sisters did. It was after my misadventure as a household helper that my mother began to insist that I join the other teenage girls who frequent the child-friendly space. So one day I followed my sister to go there. I was soon accepted by the other children. The activity leaders were friendly too. I have to say that what made me reluctant to go there was the fear of rejection or bad treatment from the other children or the activity leaders because of my disability. I realised that this was the environment I needed from the moment we arrived in this town – all children were admitted without discrimination and mockery, insults and all forms of violence were outlawed. The wide range of activities and games allows every child to develop to their full potential.

Through my participation in these early-learning and educational activities with other children, I’ve been lucky enough to be listened to by the project’s psychologist, who comes every month to listen to the children. He helped me a lot with advice and encouragement. Since then, I’ve started to gain confidence in myself and these days I have more self-esteem than I used to. I’m no longer withdrawn, I don’t feel stressed and I don’t have nightmares at night like I used to. My parents have noticed the change and are happy. I’ve rediscovered my zest for life.

With the other children, we planted trees in our IDP reception area and also in the child-friendly space to help combat the advancing desert and attract rain. I teach the other children local songs, tales, funny stories and riddles. 

Since I started taking part in the activities in the child-friendly space, I’ve made friends and as a group we go to each other’s homes and help our mothers with housework. What we learn in the child-friendly space has instilled in us values such as love of neighbour, mutual aid and social cohesion. Our parents are proud and appreciate us as model children who set good examples. At the host site, the local people are very appreciative of us and that’s something my friends and I are very proud of.

What are your most important prospects for your future and that of your community? How do you see your future and that of your family/community after the project?

I’m happy and smiling again. Thanks to the project, I have a space where I can play and learn with my fellow IDPs and the host community. I’ve acquired skills and been able to bounce back and adapt to the situation. My wish is to be helped to benefit from more specialised care for my deformed right foot so that I can walk as I used to. I want to go into sheep farming to contribute to our family’s expenses, because there are a lot of us and we left everything behind when we left our village during the attack. Going to the child-friendly space has also made me want to go to school, even though I’m older now. I want to sign up for evening classes.