Waka

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 took. “I’ve seen like my dream want to end,” he says about his goal to study law. “But I’m not giving in. I’m not giving up. I will still pursue what I want as long [as] I still breathe.”

Waka was in secondary school in South Sudan when war broke out in 2013. He missed his math exam and was separated from friends he never saw again. Still, he managed to complete high school. But in 2016, violence erupted again, and Waka made the difficult decision to leave. Traveling mostly by foot, he crossed into Ethiopia, where he was registered as a refugee. “I’m a refugee in Ethiopia,” Waka shared. “What brought me [here] was conflict. Things were awful back home. It was very hard to pursue [a dream].”

Waka enrolled in university while living in Sherkole Refugee Camp in Ethiopia, and in 2022, graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in law. Now, he hopes to study human rights law at a higher level. “There’s a lot of violations… not only in my country, but the world as a whole. I want to stand up for those who don’t have a voice.”

Waka has applied to multiple scholarships but says navigating them is difficult while living in the camp, without steady access to reliable internet and equipment. “Sometimes scholarships are announced, maybe with only two weeks before the deadline,” he said. “We don’t have enough computers, the room is very small. Ever since we started applying, we have never seen girls entering there, because it is not conducive for them.”

Despite these challenges, Waka remains hopeful.

When you face a lot of challenges, it means you are almost at what you want… I will not give up until I get what I want.

RefugePoint partners with refugees like Waka to access education opportunities by providing support throughout their journey—from school enrollment and vocational training to scholarship application support. In Ethiopia, RefugePoint’s Resettlement Expert provided support to Waka and other young refugees with their scholarship applications. These types of efforts make it possible for talented young people to continue their education and contribute to their communities.

“There is nothing wrong with being a refugee. And there’s nothing wrong with facing any challenges,” Waka said. “These are the things that I want everyone who’s outside there, who’s listening, who is going to see this, to know. We are here. We are not giving up on our dreams.”