Furaha, Antoinette
- Born: 1991
- Country: DR Congo
- Father deceased, mother, 5 sisters - 2 sisters deceased, 1 brother
- Grade: Primary 7, needs educational assistance
Edited email(s):
First, I would like to thank you for the work you have started for African kids who have lost hope. I appreciate even more than I can say that you remember the children of Africa and intend to help our problems through education.
My name is Antoinette Furaha, I am a female Congolese refugee. I have been attending primary level 7, have taken the Uganda National Examination and received my results. I was among the best in my school, only one student performed better than I did so I was the second in my class. Because of hardships I had poor attendance at school and can imagine that I would perform better if I could attend school regularly.
I was born and grew up in the Congo. I had a father and mother, five sisters, and one brother. When I was six years old war started in our country, the region where I lived was affected greatly. It is very sad that the war was not between soldiers; instead civilians were killed according to one's tribe. Civilians were killed like animals, they were shot and tortured. It is very sad for me to tell you that at this time I saw people using hoes to kill a person, saw blood flowing like water, dogs use to eat dead people and even chase live people. This killing became entertainment for those who did it; they killed people when they were happy. I was very young when this was happening and did not see people playing or enjoying life, instead I saw people doing evil things – this affected me very much.
My father was a lawyer; he passed judgment on guilty people who were caught doing evil acts (killing civilians). One morning we were sitting in the compound and saw rebels coming, they caught my father and removed all his clothes. The rebels asked my father why he passed judgment on their fellow rebels. They decided they would kill him to set an example to other government officials. My father knew that they will not let him go and told us goodbye, all of us were crying. They tortured him by first cutting his arm, he was crying loudly. We could not continue to watch this and ran away. We escaped by left our Mother at the scene. That was the last time we saw my father and the beginning of being called orphans. (When I talk about this I always feel like crying.)
Later Mother found us in Uganda, she told us our father died in painful state, he had been beheaded. When this happened the whole village was singing because they felt it was a victory. Our three uncles were killed in the same way. Many girls were raped and some of them died.
In 1997 we were refugees in the Kisoro district, the United Nations us to the Kyangwali settlement. In Kyangwali my Mother, siblings, and the orphans of my uncles starved. Because of the lack of food and poor treatment one sister died, my Mother became very sick and is still very weak. Mother and I started to clear bushes to build and house, men usually do this kind of work but since our men had been killed we did it. My weak Mom and I constructed a house; the house would fall and had to be rebuilt time and again. Life was very hard and a second sister became sick and passed away. We remained three sisters and one young brother.
Mother gave away my sister for marriage so that the small dowry (200,000sh approximately $117) could help us. The husband of my sister helped us build a strong grass thatched house in which we now live. We work by digging (farming). If there is bad weather there is no food which causes starving in the camp. All our needs (food, medical treatment, clothes, education) are gotten by farming. To support my Mother I am now the one providing the labor at home, because of this I am forced to leaving school.
In the future I hope to continue my education so I can help all the poor families and orphans here. I can even become a strong woman like Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the president of Liberia. I can fight for rights of women who are looked at as horses in some countries of Africa. The life I have experienced has taught me the value of an education. I understand the problems of daily life and think I know some of the solutions to these problems.
My hobbies are net ball, volley ball, reading stories like the Bible, and chatting with friends. I like singing in church, I am in the singing group of church, and in the club as well.
I am a bright girl. I have sent my picture and report from Primary seven. I think I have the ability to learn and become important in the world, but I cannot support myself and need help. If you have friends or a church please extend my crying to them, God will repay them four times. I have managed to send this message with help from friends; I have never seen a computer or know how messages are sent.
Yours, Antoinette