Dressed modestly in a T-shirt, skirt and black headscarf, Mounia* looks younger than her 25 years and perhaps naïve to the world’s dangers. But looks can be deceiving.
The young woman has faced more hardship than many could bear since her family fled their home following armed attacks by radical groups in 2020. They left everything behind. Moving into a local stadium, they relied on humanitarian assistance until relatives could send money for them to rent a small house.
But, there’s more to the story. Mounia had also been silently suffering, telling no one that the men who attacked her home had sexually and physically abused her, too.
“I spent nights crying and asking myself questions to which I could not find answers. I no longer went to school — everything stopped for me,” says Mounia who was completing high school when the attack happened. “The future didn’t exist anymore.”
Although overwhelmed by memories of her attack, Mounia was determined to earn money to help her family. Her efforts weren’t successful at first. “One day, when I had lost all hope, I asked women traders for help,” she recalls. “One of them lent me 2,000 francs (about C$4) to buy mangoes to resell. My nightmare was losing that banknote in which I had all hope to start living again.”
Thankfully, when Mounia explained what happened, the women helped her again, giving her a few mangoes to sell. “A few weeks later, I [could afford to buy] a box of mangoes,” she recalls joyfully.
Soon after, Mounia rented a small house with friends. Her hope for a better future spurred her onward. Referred to Children Believe for help, she received educational and psychosocial support, and re-enrolled in Grade 11, thanks to a UNICEF-funded project run by Children Believe.
“I went back to school thanks to the support of Children Believe. I received a school kit, and I was motivated to have a good school year,” Mounia recalls confidently.
Children Believe continued to support the eager student the following year as she completed secondary school and prepared for her final exam. It wasn’t easy.
“I armed myself with courage to face the exam,” Mounia says, explaining how a study group in math, life and science, French, physics and chemistry helped her become one of few females in a class of 60 students to pass.
Today, tears of sadness have given way to tears of joy and determination. “I want to put this diploma to good use by working to save lives after my university studies in health,” says Mounia, who has registered to study sociology at a local university, supported by a family gift and money she saved. “I urge girls who live in difficult conditions to fight.”
It’s no surprise this bright young star is admired locally for her courage as she writes a new page in her life story, having overcome trauma to inspire others.
You can help women and girls like Mounia get support they need to reach their dreams. Send girls to school today.
*A pseudonym has been used to protect the identity of the young woman in the story.