Little Daughter by Zoya Phan & Damien Lewis

Author:Zoya Phan & Damien Lewis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2009-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

A TIME OF DARKNESS

We had arrived in the refugee camp in February 1995. By April most people had finished building their homes, and we turned our minds to other things. ‘Summer schools’ were set up for the camp children and staffed by volunteers. Each camp section had one, with lessons held in the open in the sunshine. Their theme was simple: how to maintain hygiene in the refugee camp. With thousands of people crammed into such a small area, the potential for disease was high.

We were told we had to wash our hands before eating. Before going to bed we were supposed to wash our feet, as invariably they would be covered in mud from the day’s activities. Rubbish–plastic bags, paper, food tins–had to be thrown into a pit and burned. Prior to arriving in the camp we’d rarely had rubbish to dispose of, for there were few such throwaway items back in the village. So we didn’t know not to throw such things into the spring where we collected water, or into the river.

One of the NGOs gave us proper toothbrushes and toothpaste, and we were taught how to brush our teeth morning and night. We were given soap and shampoo with which to wash our bodies and our hair, and we were each given a little bag in which to keep our toiletries. We hung these from the bamboo wall of the bathroom that we had constructed at the back of the house.

After the hygiene lessons we had a sewing course, in which we were taught to repair our clothes, for we wouldn’t be getting any new ones any time soon. We were taught to keep our clothes clean, even if they were old and worn. My father had been a stickler for cleanliness, so I took all of this very seriously. I really enjoyed these classes because I was learning new and useful things, but most of all I was happy to be getting some schooling once again.

Summer school lasted the whole of April, with lessons in the morning and workshops in the afternoon. One of my classmates was Lily Flower. We were given cloth, needles and thread by an NGO that worked with the Karen Women’s Organization. It was good to be learning again and feeding my head, instead of hiding in the forest, or doing the daily grind of the chores.

By June of that year a new secondary school had been built. It was situated in Section Five, which meant I would have to cross the river to reach it. Even so, I was determined to attend lessons. But the journey across the river was too difficult and dangerous, especially when using a bamboo raft in the rainy season. So my mother proposed that a high school be built for our section of the camp.

The camp committee called for volunteers to help, and a building was put up made of a bamboo frame and a roof thatched with leaves. An old rice farm to one side of the school was converted into the playing field.

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