“The rebels attacked our village,” recalls Betty, who had a baby and two girls of nursery school age at the time. “People were shot dead everywhere, and houses were robbed and burned down. Women were raped and many families died while trying to flee, especially children. They had no water and no food and were exhausted. I saw all this; these images still haunt me to this day. I was so afraid for our survival.”
After several days fleeing on foot, Betty made it to Uganda, leaving her husband behind. “He didn’t want to come with us; he didn’t want to look after his family,” Betty says quietly. She doesn’t go into any more detail. Since then, she has raised her children alone. Betty’s parents also live in Bibi Bidi, so the young mother and businesswoman has some support.
Almost 200,000 refugees now live in Bidi Bidi. Betty has built a small mud house here, but since she completed her vocational training last year, she hopes to build a larger house soon. She has at least six customers a day, each item of clothing taking her around one to two hours.
Training at the Welthungerhilfe training center
The young seamstress has completed her training at the Welthungerhilfe (WHH) training center. Refugees and people from Uganda are taught together there. “Students here can learn trades such as carpentry or tailoring,” explains Sam Isaac, head of the center. “The training lasts six months and is followed directly by an internship,” he adds.
