Education can be transformative for a child. Especially one who lives in a conflict zone and has seen unimaginable horrors. School provides a safe place to recover from trauma, to cope with the past and hope for the future. Our students continually impress us with their courage and as war has increased in the region, we meet more and more students who, after fleeing from war, excel in their studies when given the chance to. Thank you for standing with us to provide quality, conflict sensitive education.

Meet Eliezer, a new Justice Rising student, passionate about building peace in his country.

My name is Eliezer. I’m 15 years old and in the 5th grade at Justice Rising Hand in Hand Primary School. My younger sister (we are nine siblings total) is also at this school in the 2nd grade. I started going to this school last year after my mom made us leave our old home in Bunagana because we couldn’t go to school while the war was so bad.

Right now we live in the camp in a shelter made of tarps. Before we left, it felt like everyone around me was dying. The rebels were killing everyone and even forcing kids to take their guns and kill their parents. We decided we had to flee and find somewhere safer. My dad got sick and died, we had to bury him along the way.

*The IDP camp near Hand in Hand Primary School that Eliezer’s family lives in currently.*

Life is still hard in the camp. Food is very expensive so when we haven’t had anything to eat for a long time, my mom will go back to our old home and look for food in our old fields even though it is very dangerous. One time, my older sister didn’t want my mom to have to go when we were hungry, so she decided to go instead. She was impregnated by one of the M23 rebel soldiers and did not come back.

The principal of the Justice Rising school found my family in the camp and told us that there was a place for us at Hand in Hand Primary, even though we could not afford the school fees.

My mom is now also a part of the parent education committee for the camp. She helps the principal of the Justice Rising school to keep track of children from our camp to make sure that they have the opportunity to attend school. They have been given uniforms, books, and supplies to attend classes and continue their education despite not being able to afford it, all because of Justice Rising.

I really love to learn about animals and science, but my dream is to one day be the governor or to work in politics.

I have seen too many people die and too much violence. I am passionate about being able to make a change and I think I can do that if I become governor. I believe there should be more peace and less fighting.

So, I study very hard and try to be a leader in my community. My nickname at school is “governor”!

My nickname at school is "governor"...