Twelve year old Ujumbe’s life was abruptly uprooted by civil conflict two years ago. Her family fled the violence and came to live in Walikale, a remote rain forest territory in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Republic is one of the most dangerous places on earth for a child to grow up. It’s the second poorest country in the world. Here, children have been used as soldiers, sexual slaves or laborers by armed forces and militia groups. SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Ujumbe Kiwabantu, 12-years-old:“It’s very hard living here. Back home there is war so I have to stay here.” Ujumbe is fully aware that her childhood has been starkly different from that of teenagers in other parts of the world. SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Ujumbe Kiwabantu, 12-years-old: “My life is different from their lives because they have means.” Adolescents make up approximately one-fifth of the global population, and it’s in this crucial phase of life that young people need to stay in school, especially girls from the most marginalized areas of the world where they are vulnerable to early marriage, violence and forced labor. Being in a classroom every day has been one of the few constants in Ujumbe’s life. SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Ujumbe Kiwabantu, 12-years-old: “It’s good going to school because at school they teach us how to be and how to live outside of school. I like going to school and hope to finish but I’m not sure if another war will crop up and displace me again.”
CONGO-VIOLENCE CLAIMS YOUNG PART 2
Growing up as a teenager is an exciting yet vulnerable time in life especially for girls, who experience profound physical, emotional and sexual changes. Ujumbe is adapting as she develops into a young woman. Other things that worry Ujumbe are the most basic necessities many of us take for granted. SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Ujumbe Kiwabantu, 12-years-old: “I fear hunger. My biggest dream is to have a better life.” A better life will be a challenge for Ujumbe’s generation, but she remains hopeful.SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Ujumbe Kiwabantu, 12-years-old: “I want my country to be a country of peace; for everyone to return home; for everyone to live well.” In order to tackle the greatest challenges of their time, adolescents like Ujumbe need to be heard, protected and nurtured.
Transcripts / Production Notes / Scripts
Twelve year old Ujumbe’s life was abruptly uprooted by civil conflict two years ago. Her family fled the violence and came to live in Walikale, a remote rain forest territory in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
DRC is one of the most dangerous places on earth for a child to grow up. It’s the second poorest country in the world. Here, children have been used as soldiers, sexual slaves or labourers by armed forces and militia groups.
SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Ujumbe Kiwabantu, 12-years-old:
“It’s very hard living here. Back home there is war so I have to stay here.”
Ujumbe is fully aware that her childhood has been starkly different from that of teenagers in other parts of the world.
SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Ujumbe Kiwabantu, 12-years-old:
“My life is different from their lives because they have means.”
Adolescents make up approximately one-fifth of the global population, and it’s in this crucial phase of life that young people need to stay in school, especially girls from the most marginalized areas of the world where they are vulnerable to early marriage, violence and forced labor.
Being in a classroom every day has been one of the few constants in Ujumbe’s life.
SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Ujumbe Kiwabantu, 12-years-old:
“It’s good going to school because at school they teach us how to be and how to live outside of school. I like going to school and hope to finish but I’m not sure if another war will crop up and displace me again.”
Growing up as a teenager is an exciting yet vulnerable time in life especially for girls, who experience profound physical, emotional and sexual changes. Ujumbe is adapting as she develops into a young woman.
SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Ujumbe Kiwabantu, 12-years-old:
“In the past I always felt very well but sometimes during the month now I fall ill but I don’t know why.”
Other things that worry Ujumbe are the most basic necessities many of us take for granted.
SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Ujumbe Kiwabantu, 12-years-old:
“I fear hunger. My biggest dream is to have a better life.”
A better life will be a challenge for Ujumbe’s generation, but she remains hopeful.
SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Ujumbe Kiwabantu, 12-years-old:
“I want my country to be a country of peace; for everyone to return home; for everyone to live well.”
In order to tackle the greatest challenges of their time, adolescents like Ujumbe need to be heard, protected and nurtured.
To Walk Without Fear TV 
CONGO-VIOLENCE CLAIMS YOUNG PART 1
