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Hello my name is Omar and I live in a refugee camp in Dadaab but before that I lived in a village in Somaila called Mareerey and I will tell you the reason I had to leave. It all started one day when I was in the fields with my father when a group of strange men came to speak to my father, then all of a sudden BANG BANG BANG. I jumped up and ran to my mother who was bring out lunch to me and my father with my little brother in her arms, I remember not being able to tell my mother because I did not have the words but when she looked up she under stood right away. She put Hassan into my arms and told me "take your brother Omar, run as fast as you can back to our village go to Sadiyas house next door she'll take care of you until I come back" I was so confused and scared I couldn't think straight so I just did with my mother told me and ran. Our field was far from the village and Hassan couldn't walk very fast so we barely mad it to Sadiyas house before I heard it gunshots, screaming and the whole village was running. Every direction we ran there was more fighting but we kept running, as we were running I turned around to see my village in flames, we walked and walked and walked collecting people as we went. we walked for weeks and I over heard that this was happening every where in Somaila, our group couldn't walk very fast because we had a lot of elderly and small children we didn't know where we where going we were just walking then our group heard of a place in Kenya for refugees run by the UN so the adults' decide to go there. We followed directions from other people fleeing Somaila, we hind in bushes when we heard fighting and when we would get caught they (the bandits) would take everything even thought I was young I knew people in our group were dying, our neighbour Sadiya that took care of on our journey, had passed. Over the journey we were all getting weaker and weaker I could feel my self fading and I wasn't the only one when we reached Dadaab there were oceans of people mostly were Somalis, when we got there we were automatically classed as refugees the UN separated Hassan and I from our group because the UN workers said we were sick and needed to stay in hospital the first year was like a blur I was fading in and out, I felt empty like I was a ghost Hassan too. After a long time in hospital I stated to fade back in the nurses taught us to walk again which I taught was funny because we had walked all that way, I remember the first time I meet Fatima I didn't like her, I think why I didn't like her was because I didn't want her to replace my mother I always had tantrums because I was angry why, why didn't my mother come back did she not love us. Hassan was always different from the other kids he didn't talk he always had tantrums he could scream and kick for hours with out getting tired and I was the only one that could calm him down until one day I couldn't, when he got older he started having seizures and i couldn't calm him down, Fatima took his to the hospital but the doctors didn't know what was causing them they said maybe because he was sick as a baby. They didn't have any medicine to give to him so they said the best we could do was to stay with him once our neighbours found out people wouldn't stop giving us advice we didn't want and worse they started to say rude things about Hassan and that Fatima should give us up. Fatima didn't stand for this thought she stood up for Hassan and yelled for everyone to leave, my opinion on Fatima changed after that, and the next time Hassan had a seizure Fatima was right there one day I asked her why did she want to keep taking care of us and she told me that we reminded her of her four sons who died in Somaila. Now Fatima is our guardian but I still think about my mother every night where was she? and why did she leave us?

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hi my name is Omar

I came to Dadaab because there is a war in Somalia where I am from.So my dad used to take me out to grassy feilds and we would have lunch under a tree.Then these weird men came and started talking to my dad then I heard BANG BANG BANG I ran over to my mom and tried to tell her what happened but I wasn’t very clear but I think she understood me.When she saw what was happening she told me to take care of Hassan and bring his to our neighbours house and she would take care of us.When we got to her house she told us to come in but then there was more bangs and there was screams aswell. We had to run away but Mama wasn’t there.We were walking for days ,months.But poor Sadiya(she is the neighbour)didn’t make it.When we got to Dadaab all the UN worker called us refugees.Me and Hassan had to go into hospital for a while.I had to relearn how to walk.But when I was let out we were given a foster mum her name was Fatuma.i didn’t really like her at the start because I just wanted my real mom.After a while I started to like Fatuma because she helped Hassan when he had a seizure.

By Éabha

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My name is Omar Mohamed. My brother Hassan and I lived in a small rural village called Mareerey in Somalia.  I remember the colour green. Because my dad was a farmer, we were always surrounded by green. I remember the toys my dad made for me as well. One day, when i was younger, I was playing with my toys. Then, bandits came up to my dad. I heard loud bangs, I didn't know what was going on. I was scared. I ran back towards my house and saw my mam carrying Hassan. I has a hard time explaining to her, but she seemed to know what happened. She told me to run back to our village and to go to of our neighbour Sadiya's house with Hassan. She said she'd come get us, as soon as she could, but, she never came. Hassan and I ran to Sadiya, and she has heard the rumours. She told us to get inside. Then we heard gunshots and screaming. The whole village was running. I just wanted my mam. We ran. We walked for days and days and days, it never seemed to end. With no water, food or very little breaks, it was hard. Our group was mainly mothers and old women, so we couldn't move very fast. Our group only got smaller. Sadiya didn't make it. Whenever we saw the bandits, we would hide in bushes. If they found us, They'd take everything. By the time we got to the refugee camp, there was so many people you were automatically registered as a refugee, There was to many of us to go through one by one. When Hassan and I got in, we were admitted to the hospital. The UN said we were too weak. I felt like i was fading out. Maybe Hassan and I were ghosts. Then, we started to fade back in. After walking so far, the nurses had to teach me how to walk again. When we got better, a UN worker brought us to Fatuma. I didn't like her at first. I wanted my mam. I didn't like anything. And neither did Hassan. He could throw tantrums for hours and not be tired. I just wanted to go back home. All of a sudden, Hassan started getting seizures. That's what the doctors called them. He would fall and then his body would start jerking and wouldn't stop. Fatuma brought him to the doctors but they didn't know what to do. The neighbours started to stop by and give Fatuma their advice. They said we weren't even her reals sons, but she told them to get out and that we may not be her biological sons, we were her sons. My opinion on Fatuma changed. When Hassan had another seizure, Fatuma was right there. Fatuma's our foster mum now and I couldn't think of her as anything else.

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Hi my name is Omar Mohamed

Before I came to the dadaab refugee camp I lived in Somalia in Mareerey. One day Me and my dad were in our field then a group of strange men Approached my dad They started shouting and then I heard a gunshot. My dad was dead. I ran to my mother who is holding Hassan my younger brother she told us to run as fast as we could to our elderly neighbour called Sadiya. when we reached there there was gunshots and screaming the whole village fled. Us and all our neighbours started walking we didn’t know where we were going All we knew was we had to get out of there. People in our group were dying, unfortunately Sadiya was one of them our group was getting smaller, but eventually we made it to the dadaab refugee camp. We were so weak as we had been travelling for days. The UN workers took me and Hassan away from the group into the hospital. I was barely conscious. We spent a long time in the hospital so long that the nurses had to retrain me to walk. When we got Out of the hospital, the UN workers took us to Fatma‘s tent. They told us that she would be our foster mum. I didn’t like her but when Hassan started having seizures, she stood by him and that was when I really started to like her. I hope to find My real mom one day. If she’s out there I hope she’s looking for us to

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My name is Omar Mohamed. I came to Dadaab from a small village called Mareerey in Somalia. One day we were in the field it was far away from my house while my Dad worked my mom was bringing out lunch for us. I was playing with my toy blocks when my Dad started talking to these people before. Then yelling. BANG. I ran back to our house my mom was already out carrying lunch and Hassan. I started crying I couldn't explain it. My mother understanded something was wrong. My mother told us to go to Sadiyas house. We barely made before more gunshots were fired. Everyone was running but all I could think was where is Mama? We ran every direction more fighting. We walked and walked and walked. If the bandits caught us they would take everything we had. There was nowhere to go. We had to find somewhere safe. Eventually we found Dadaab by the time we got there me and Hassan were malnourished . I had to relearn how to walk. Once we were better we met Fatuma I didn't like her at first but when Hassan was having seizures she took him too the hospital and people told him to leave him she defended him. Omar likes Fatuma now and was named their legal guardian. But still wonders where is Mama?

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Hi, my name is Omar Mohamed and I'm gonna tell you about what happened me and my younger brother Hassan that made us leave Somalia.

I remember fields of green for as far as the eye could see, with trees with sprouted saplings adding some colour to to the leaves. I would come out with my father as he worked in the fields, and my mama would bring us food and we would eat under a tree.

One day I was playing with my toys and some strange men I hadn't seen before walked up to my dad. they were talking for a bit and then they started yelling, and they held up some sort of stick? and it made a loud noise which made my dad fall down. He didn't get back up. I was so scared I ran and ran back to my mama who was carrying Hassan, and I tried to explain what had happened, but I was so little and I just couldn't find the words but she seemed to understand the general idea.

She gave me Hassan and told me to go to our neighbour Sadiya. Our village was very far from the field we were in and Hassan was very, very young and he couldn't walk very fast at all but we got there eventually and when we got to Sadiya she ushered us inside.

About 5 seconds after Sadiya brought us inside her house we started to hear the loud noise again and screaming, so, so much screaming. We ran out of the house and both me and Hassan started crying and I kept asking where my mama was but Sadiya picked up Hassan and grabbed my hand and we ran. We ran and ran and every direction led us to more fighting and strange men and sometimes we would have to hide in bushes or cut through fences and I just kept asking for mama but even though I felt we ran everywhere but I didn't see her at all.

We joined up with a big group from the village and we walked with them we walked for weeks on end and we were slow because the majority of the group were old people or mothers with young children and it was very hard. When we ran into the strange men we would hide in the bushes and if they found us they would take our food, our clothes, everything we had with us. Sometimes some of the people in our group would go to sleep and they wouldn't wake up and others would cry and we would have to bury them. Eventually we had to bury Sadiya.

We kept on walking and I got more tierd and skinnier with every step. finally we got to a place called Dadaab. The people there said they would look after us. There was so many people waiting in the line, much, much bigger than our group at that time.

They took me and Hassan away from our group and to the hospital. I don't remember much about the hospital. All I remember was feeling so tired and hungry and I felt like I was fading away, but, slowly but surely, I started to feel alright again. I was taught to walk again.

A worker took us to this lady called Fatuma. He said she was going to be our foster mum. I didn't like Fatuma at first, I wanted our real mum. I also didn't like the food we had to eat. I was used to the meat and vegetables we had on our farm.

I started to notice that Hassan wasn't like the other kids his age. He only said "hooyo". He had tantrums in which he could scream and kick for hours on end without getting tired and I was the only one who could calm him down. He also started having things called seizures. He would fall down and his body would start jerking around and I didn't know how to stop it so I would call Fatuma.

Other people would come to Fatuma's tent and try persuade her to stop being our foster mum and tie up Hassan but Fatuma would yell at them for saying such crazy things. I started to like Fatuma after that.

By Tadhg

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My name is Omar Mohamed I came to Dadaab from a small village in Somalia called Mareerey. We lived in a rural area so we were very far away from our house when we to the fields. One day I was in the field with my dad. I was playing with the toys he made me. I don't remember much but I vividly remember the colour green. Green fields, green trees and green grass. But little was I to know that later that day everything would change. It was just beforee lunchtime I knew that my mum and my one year old brother Hassan would be coming soon. Suddenly these strange men came into our field. They started shouting at my dad and then I heard a gunshot for the first time. I didn't look back, I just ran. Soon I found my mom and Hassan. I tried to explain what happened but I couldn't get the words out. But she understood. My mum told me to go to my neighbour Sadiya's house. As soon as we got there Sadiya took us and we ran because our lives depended on it. We finally got out of the village and we started the longest walk of my life. We walked for hours, days, weeks and months. All our belongings were taken by bandits. I started to fade in and out of reality. After what seemed like ages we arrived here at Dadaab. By then I was severely malnourished. I was rushed to hospital. Months later I was better and I had to be taught how to walk. After that I was introduced to my foster mum Fatuma. I didn't like her at first but I grew to love her.

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My name is Omar Mohamed and I lived in a city called mareerey in Somalia.One day I was with my parents in a green field when all of a sudden random men came and started talking to my dad.Then I heard gunshots I ran to my mom to try tell her what happened and she told us to run back to the village to sadiyas house.She said everything will be ok and she go help dad. I heard gunshots all around the village and our neighbours told us to run as fast as we could.We all ran out of the village we walked for days,weeks.We heard of a refugee and we made our way towards it. Every day our group got smaller and I knew people were dying.We arrived at the camp as soon as I was feeling sick,the UN officials divided me and Hassan from the group.We stayed there for ages until I started to feel better, when I was better the nurse had to teach me how to walk again.The UN workers brought us to our new home and our foster mom was Fatuma.At first I didn’t like Fatuma and I just wanted my mom.Hassan had a seizure and the nurses didn’t know what to do.But some of our neighbours came in and said to get rid of us but she told them to go away and Hassan woke up.I changed the way I taught of Fatuma after that and I really liked her now.

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Hello I am Omar Mohamed,

I was born in the small town of Mareerey in Somalia. I lived with my mother, father and baby brother Hassan. My father was a farmer and often brought me with him to the fields. Even though I was very young I remember those green fields where my father farmed and where my mother would bring us lunch. One day everything changed, while I was playing with the toys my father made me, angry men that we didn't know arrived in our fields with weapons. They started yelling at my father before I heard loud gunshot noises. I ran back to our house and on my way I met my mother and brother bringing us lunch. I tried to explain what had happened and my mother somehow understood what had happened. She told me not to be scared but to take my brother and run as fast as we could back to the village to our neighbour. We struggled as it was a long distance. When we reached our village we heard more gunshots. Soon everyone was screaming and we ran and ran and ran.There was fighting in every direction, I was terrified but couldn't give up because Hassan needed me. We knew we had to find somewhere safe so we walked with neighbours for weeks. Our group got bigger as fighting continued everywhere but soon got smaller as people died on the journey including our neighbour Sadiya. Someone in the group had heard about a safe place for Somalis to go to in Kenya. When we heard fighting we hid in bushes but sometimes they would find us. We finally made it too Dadaab we're put in hospital for a long time and I had to learn how to walk again.

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Hello my name is Omar

So when I was young I remember green the colour green. I remember my Dad used to take me out to the fields with him while he worked my mum would bring him lunch and we would all eat together under a tree. I loved my toys I would always play with them under the tree I used to build houses with them. But one day while I was playing with them these men came out of nowhere I’d never seen them before they walked in to the field and started talking to my father then they started yelling. Suddenly these loud bangs came out of nowhere I ran to the house. I saw my mum walking to the fields with lunch and hassan with her It was hard to tell her what happened because I was so young but she seemed to understand that something bad was happening. My mum told me to take hassan and run to the house next door Sadiya she would take care of us we got there so we ran with Sadiya and we heard fighting gunshots screaming but I was still thinking where is mum ?! As we were walking our group got smaller smaller and smaller and we got very weak so we got to a hospital as we got better we had to learn how to walk when we got better we got a foster mum (Fatuma) I didn’t really like my foster mum I wanted my real mum but now I do like her. Fatuma would always help hassan because he would allay get seizures and sick but he is always ok because of the help but I just want my Mum.

By Darcy

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My name is Omar Mohamed and I lived in a small village in Somalia called Mareerey before I came to Dadaab. One day,I was playing with my toys when some men came out and started talking to my father,then yelling at him and then something terrible happened. I was so frightened. I ran to tell my mother but I couldn’t really explain what had happened. She told me to run to our neighbour’s house with Hassan and that our neighbour would take care of us. Then with our neighbours we ran away from the vilage because it was dangerous. We walked for miles and miles to get away from the angry men but I still didn’t feel safe without mom. Sometimes the bandits would take our food and we would have nothing to eat. Me and Hassan got really sick. Some of our group even died. Finally, we got to the camp and we had to stay in hospital for around a year.

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Me and my dad were chilling up in the field when these weird people came and shot my dad so I ran to my mam and she gave me Hassan.Me and Hassan went to my neighbour and she helped us find a group she stayed by our side are group had to walk for days taking directions that other Somalian's theft for us to follow. If we came across the bandits they wide take our clothes and food we walked for days till we reached the UN they fielded us as refugees and we were so malnourished from the lack of food me and Hassan had to stay in the hospital for a year and had to learn to walk again then a UN accent gave us to Fatima . At the time I didn’t really like Fatima I just wanted my mam

By stephen

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Hello, I’m Omar Mohammed and this is my story.

The main thing I remember about my village is the colour green. It was always green because I can always remember when my parents would take me to the fields in which my father worked. But then one day, everything changed for the worse. I was playing with my toys when the bad men came. It was very scary because they started yelling at my dad and suddenly there was a loud bang and dad stopped talking. I ran straight to my mom to tell her what had happened but I couldn’t really explain it. Mom seemed to understand though, because she told me to take care of my brother Hassan and go o our neighbour Sadiya’s house. The walk was long because the village was far away from the fields but when we arrived at the village, Sadiya found us and the relief was great.