“When everything stands against us, we have each other for support”

Anna, aged 42, was forcefully evicted from her home in 2014. Ever since the eviction, she has lived with her children in an internal displacement camp. Supported by Womankind partners, National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) and National Association for Women’s Action in Development (NAWAD), Anna has joined a Listeners Club and advocates for her rights over the radio.

“I am lucky that I got to go to school. I got married at 21 years old. Life was good; we had our own land where we could grow crops and then sell them. We could feed our children and make a little bit of money. But now, every day is a struggle.

People had been talking about something happening, but we were not informed about the eviction. Then one day, I was at home when I saw my neighbour running up and down the road with her children. Men arrived with guns, machetes, and tear gas. I started running. Thankfully, my children were with their aunt and didn’t have to witness anything. Many other children died. My husband had gone to buy fish, so I was alone. Even now, when I remember that moment, I feel frightened. They were burning people out of their homes. I lost everything: everything I had, I threw away to run for my life.

I went to my sister’s place where my children were. I was in shock. I asked the children to call their dad and tell him not to go home. The children were frightened and worried their father would be killed. We stayed there for one week until we moved to the displacement camp, where we built a small house out of whatever we could find.

Then, life got worse. My husband left us and married another woman. I haven’t seen him since. He has not even seen his children in over two and a half years.

The situation in the camp is very bad for women. I have to do everything. On a normal day, I wake up and do chores. I work in a field, digging with my hands to make money. I find food for my children. I fetch water; it takes over an hour. It is all on my shoulders: I am alone here. My health is not good. I get a lot of pain and headaches and my heart beats very fast. Since being evicted, the fright has never left me. It has caused me so much stress.

After we moved to the camp, my sister died from high blood pressure and left her baby with me. The situation in the camp was so poor that the baby died of malaria at one year and seven days old. In my heart I felt that since my husband left, her baby was keeping me strong and fighting. I was so low afterwards; I didn’t think it was possible to feel so bad. Since the baby died, I have lived with so much stress I can hardly work.

When I get the strength, I go and dig someone’s garden to make a bit of money. I am just about able to send my children to school using the money from digging. It is hard work but I must keep doing it to support my children and give them a better future.

They have given us no compensation. No one has listened to us. They just took my home and then I lost my husband.

Those of us who were evicted tried to raise funds to take our case to court, but it is hopeless. The local leaders went in September to the local court case but they postponed it until February 2018. The courts promised us compensation, but no one really knows what will happen.

I have been part of the Listeners Club for a couple of years. It is one of the only things that makes me happy. When everything stands against us, we have each other for support. If my husband returns, I think the Listeners Club will help me stop him from taking everything.

NAPE has helped us form a group so we can purchase land together to cultivate for a small business.  NAWAD has also been to the camp to bring us food, soap, and beans. We also meet once a month to listen to Community Green Radio run by NAPE. The group motivates and encourages us. We talk about our issues and share our voices on the radio. There is still suffering, but we are raising our voices. Women in the camp are being empowered. We have someone to go to if we need support.

The Listeners Club has comforted and consoled me, but the situation is still the same. We need to raise our voices more. Our issues are aired on the radio and that makes us feel powerful, but there is more to be done.

I hope the future will be bright but this is only possible if we get compensation. We have to keep fighting for that. I hope women will rise up in this camp and make a change for us and our families.”

* Name changed to protect identity