Waka: Pursuing A Law Degree From Inside A Refugee Camp
Waka left South Sudan not only to escape war, but to protect his future and his right to an education. In Ethiopia, he’s working to save what the war nearly...
Lisa,* born and raised in Venezuela, remembers the peaceful times at home. “Venezuela used to be a safe country,” she recalls. “But since 2016, it’s become a country of shortages, insecurity, and even the education isn’t good anymore.”
Life became harder each year. Simple things, food, medicine, and safety, grew scarce. “Many Venezuelans are expressing their dissatisfaction with what’s going on,” she explains. “Several are in prison right now. They just released a document stating that we can’t even get a passport without permission from a police agency called SEBIN.”
For those who spoke out, travel became nearly impossible. “Anyone who went to peaceful protests or declared themselves as part of the opposition won’t be able to get a passport at all,” she says.
Without documents or options, she made the difficult choice to flee with her child across the sea. “I left from Tucupita at nine in the morning, and I arrived in Trinidad at three in the morning,” she says. “It was a very hard trip. There were too many people, about 20, 25 people in one boat. One on top of the other.”
Lisa became quiet as she remembered the crossing. “We arrived here at three in the morning. Hungry, cold. It was awful. We couldn’t even relieve ourselves.”
In Trinidad, she found relative safety but also uncertainty. Without papers, owning property or planning for the future was impossible. “This country has given me a lot of help, and I’m grateful,” she says. “But the help feels limited. I can’t own property. My oldest son currently has a school opportunity, but it hasn’t been easy. There’s always a ‘but.’”
Now, she dreams of resettlement, a fresh start where her son can grow up without fear. “Because it’s not just an opportunity for resettlement,” she explains. “It’s an opportunity for life. It’s a chance to give my kids a future, safely. Stability, for both them and for me.”
In October 2024, she learned that her case had been accepted by the United States. The news filled her with cautious joy. “Yes, I already want to go,” she says, smiling. “Because I see it as starting from scratch. I’m going to build a new life. I feel like there I’ll really have opportunities.”
She dreams of continuing the university studies she had to abandon when she fled. “I have the dream of being able to study at all costs,” she says. “And I think over there I’ll have the chance to continue them.”
More than anything, she hopes to give her children what she missed for years: safety, stability, and a sense of belonging. “I have the hope of finally… giving them a home of our own,” she says. “A better quality of life… The hope that everything gets better for my family.”
(Name changed for protection)
