I owe much to the people at World University Service of Canada who helped me with my research for this book, particularly to Asni Mekonnen, who meticulously and patiently answered my endless questions, and to Paul Davidson, who talked to me openly about the organization.
In Africa, I relied on WUSC’S partner Windle Trust Kenya to be my sponsor for my visit to Dadaab. Marangu Njogu and Jully Odanga persisted in gaining the government’s permission for my entry. On the ground, three Windle Trust teachers became valuable and lively guides in each of the camps: Jeremiah Orina, Karanja Kiiru and Catherine Kagendo. Without hesitation, Jeremiah lent me his camera after mine disappeared from my room in the main CARE compound.
Thank you to the many local WUSC committees in Canada who either offered information on how they function or made arrangements for me in their cities. I’m particularly indebted to Paula Barry and the committee at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax for accepting my presence throughout their orientation.
Many former WUSC students kindly shared their stories with me at length so I could deepen my understanding of the process of adjustment: Omar Ahmed Abdi, Dahabo-Noor Abdi, Abdella Abdou, Sultan Ghaznawi, Kakule Floribert Kamabu, Ambaye Kidane, Irene Kyompaire, Ruth Mathiang, Pascaline Nsekera and Ajmal Pashtoonyar.
I’d like to thank James Milner for explaining the desperate situation for protracted refugees around the world to me, and Debra Pressé for the background she provided on Canada’s refugee sponsorship program.
I am fortunate to have friends and family who are there for me when I need them: I’d like to especially thank my brother, Brian Awde, for generously taking on the task of drawing maps, Anne Mason-Browne and John Kavanagh for opening their home to me in Halifax, and David and Anna Rozenshtein for offering me theirs as a retreat.
I appreciate the opportunities I had at the CBC to travel to Mogadishu, Somalia, in 2004 and Dadaab in 2007, and to work with talented people on television pieces that inspired me to delve more deeply into the heartache of those worlds. I am constantly grateful for the ears and the kindness of my friends and former CBC colleagues, especially Donata Chruscicki, Olenka Demianchuk and Ina Kudaba.
Thank you to Scott Sellers at Random House for shepherding this project to Martha Kanya-Forstner at Doubleday. Martha’s enthusiasm and grasp of the story’s potential energized me and sent me off on the right course. When Martha took a maternity leave, Nita Pronovost stepped in with aplomb. Nita’s editorial wisdom shines through on the final pages. And thank you to the team at Random House and Doubleday who got this book out there.
I could never have finished this book without two people who are dearest in the world to me: my daughter, Jane Goodwin, and my husband, Peter Kavanagh. Both have the souls and the minds of great writers and great human beings. I trusted their perceptions implicitly and thrived on their confidence in me.
Finally, I will always be grateful to the students of Dadaab. I am honoured to have shared their first year in Canada and remain awed by their courage.
There are many humanitarian organizations that try to do what they can to ease suffering in war-torn Somalia and the refugee camps of Dadaab, or to get news out about human rights abuses. I have included just a few of the major players here as starting points so you can learn more about the current situation or donate to their efforts, if you wish.
Amnesty International www.amnesty.org
As part of its mandate to campaign internationally for human rights, Amnesty International has documented human rights abuses in Somalia and Kenya.
CARE Canada www.care.ca
CARE Canada has been part of the humanitarian effort in the Dadaab camps since 1991. CARE International provides, education, sanitation and water, and programs addressing health and social issues.
Human Rights Watch www.hrw.org
An independent organization, Human Rights Watch focuses on violations of human rights in the world, including Somalia and Kenya.
Médicins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders www.msf.ca
This medical humanitarian agency has operated in the dangerous environment of Somalia since 1991. In 2009, the agency studied the health conditions of refugees in Dadaab.
60 Million Girls / 60 Millions de Filles www.60millionsdefilles.org/english/home.html
60 Million Girls is a public foundation based in Montreal that supports girls’ education worldwide by funding two initiatives a year. In 2008, the organization funded programs to encourage girls to stay in school in the refugee camps of Dadaab and Kakuma.
Windle Trust Kenya www.windle.org
WTK is WUSC’S partner in Kenya, but it does much more to advance education among refugees in the country. It is a registered non-governmental organization established by the late Hugh Pilkington.
World University Service of Canada www.wusc.ca
If you are a university student, you can check to see if there is a WUSC committee on your campus and get involved. If there isn’t a committee at your university, you could contact the main office in Ottawa and learn how to start one. WUSC accepts donations for its many projects, including the Student Refugee Program.