13 Year Orphan Scovia Balo Treks to Bidibidi Camp with two Siblings
13 Year Orphan Scovia Balo Treks to Bidibidi Camp with two Siblings
Orphaned in April 2016 when her father succumbed to HIV/AIDs and mother who died earlier in 2012, Scovia Balo and her two siblings Oketch Mark eight years and Immaculate Amito six years had to flee to Uganda for safety. -.
“Our home was in Owiny Kibul in South Sudan and we lived with our grandmother, but when the shooting started, our grandmother told us to leave and run away to Waligo boarder in Kitgum district, Northern Uganda. Waligo border is 36 kilometers away from Owiny Kibul. Our Grandmother said she would remain and die in South Sudan.
As we run away, many people joined us and by the time we got to the border, we were a big group. We were immediately transferred to Nyumanzi reception center in Adjumani district. While at the boarder we met Santa Maneno (our camp foster mother) who prepared for us dinner at Nyumanzi reception center.
After a week, we were brought here at Bidibidi camp.”
Amito keeps crying all the time. She misses our mother mother. I have to keep consoling her’’
“My wish is to keep my siblings together and look after them very well,” she says. “However, life here is very difficult. Back home in Owiny Kibul, we would go to school now for the last 3 weeks we have not been to school.
We also do not have good drinking water, the water here is over treated and it tastes differently. We cannot play; there are no playing areas for us. We need peace back home so that we go back .” Abalo tells me
Currently Bidibidi camp has very few agencies supporting education, child protection, and community development.
This being a new settlement, most agencies are still scaling up response funds to kick start operations. Windle trust international is currently the only agency on ground that has committed to construct some temporary learning structures.
World Vision is under the education and protection cluster currently doing case magement of separated children and unaccompanied minors. Under this, World Vision is working with refugee communities to identify foster parents for all unaccompanied minors. World Vision also has plans of opening up at least 2 child friendly spaces at Bidibidi camp, which will provide early child hood development classes to the refugees.
On a daily basis, Bidibidi camp is receiving not less 400 refugees, all being relocated from Adjumani district. This after Adjumani’s refugee settlements got filled to capacity. As of 26th August 2016, Bidibidi has a population of more than 28,000 refugees.