‘Every day, girls like me have to choose between staying safe and going to school’
(Courtesy of Ayesha Shakya / Malala Fund)
Marie Claire Kaberamanzi joined Malala Fund for the Drive for Five event at the U.N., where she shared how conflict prevents millions of girls around the world from going to school. Read her prepared remarks below.
My name is Marie Claire, I am 23 years old. Growing up in the Congo, I didn’t go to school. With war after war, shooting after shooting, my main focus was staying safe.
The conflict in my home country became so violent that my family fled to Zambia. It was then, at the age of 11, that I had the chance to go to school for the first time in my life.
But my family was still in danger. As refugees, we faced discrimination and harassment. Every time I left our house to go to school, someone would yell at me to go back to my country or shout that I was eating what wasn’t mine.
In class, I was too scared to concentrate. I wanted nothing more than to learn, but I was consumed with fear. I knew I wasn’t safe on the street, in school or at home.
One night, armed rebels broke into our house. I watched as they killed my mother. She sacrificed herself to protect me and my eight siblings.
Conflict changed my life forever. It took away my mother and countless others. It kept me out of school until age 11. And it continues to prevent girls around the world from reaching their full potential. Over one-third of out-of-school children are not in class because of conflict — and girls in emergency situations are two and a half times more likely to be out of school than boys. Even in settings free from conflict, harassment and gender-based violence still stop adolescent girls from going to school.
Three years ago, I achieved what at one point I didn’t think was possible: I graduated from high school. Now I am in university studying nursing. After witnessing so much violence, I want to learn the skills to help and heal my community.
“We are a generation of future nurses, lawyers and engineers who are ready to build a safer, healthier and wealthier world.”
As nursing students, we learn that the best way to support patients is to put yourself in their shoes and imagine what it’s like to have experienced what they’ve experienced. I want leaders to do the same for girls.
If leaders put themselves in girls’ shoes, they would know that dedicating just 2.1% of global humanitarian aid to education is not enough. They would see that every day, girls like me have to choose between staying safe and going to school.
If leaders put themselves in girls’ shoes, they would understand not only the challenges we face, but they would also understand our potential. We are a generation of future nurses, lawyers and engineers who are ready to build a safer, healthier and wealthier world. But until leaders support quality education in emergency situations, the world will continue to miss out on all that girls have to offer.
Thank you.
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