We do not choose where to be born. We do not choose who our parents are. But we do choose how we are going to live our lives.
我們無法選擇在哪裡出生。 我們無法選擇我們的父母是誰。 但我們可以選擇 我們要如何過我們的人生。
I did not choose to be born in South Sudan, a country rife with conflict. I did not choose my name -- Nyiriak, which means "war." I've always rejected it and all the legacy it was born into. I choose to be called Mary. As a teacher, I've stood in front of 120 students, so this stage does not intimidate me.
我沒選擇生在南蘇丹, 那個國家不斷發生衝突。 我的名字也不是我選擇的—— 妮莉亞克, 它的意思是「戰爭」。 我一直都很排斥它, 以及它所連帶的遺產。 我選擇被稱為瑪莉。 身為老師,我曾經 站在 120 個學生面前, 所以這個舞台並不會讓我害怕。
My students come from war-torn countries. They're so different from each other, but they have one thing in common: they fled their homes in order to stay alive. Some of them belong to parents back home in South Sudan who are killing each other because they belong to a different tribe or they have a different belief. Others come from other African countries devastated by war. But when they enter my class, they make friends, they walk home together, they do their homework together. There is no hatred allowed in my class.
我的學生來自被戰爭肆虐的國家。 他們每個人都好不一樣, 但他們有一個共通點: 他們都為了求生存 而逃離了他們的國家。 當中有些人的父母 還留在南蘇丹的家鄉, 他們彼此殘殺, 因為他們屬於不同的部落, 或因為他們有不同的信仰。 其他人則是來自其他 被戰爭催殘的非洲國家。 但當他們來上我的課, 他們會交朋友, 他們會一起走路回家, 他們會一起做功課。 我的班上不容許任何仇恨。
My story is like that of so many other refugees. The war came when I was still a baby. And my father, who had been absent in most of my early childhood, was doing what other men were doing: fighting for the country. He had two wives and many children. My mother was his second wife, married to him at the age of 16. This is simply because my mother came from a poor background, and she had no choice. My father, on the other hand, was rich. He had many cows.
我的故事和許多 其他難民的故事很像。 我還很小的時候戰爭就開始了。 我的父親 幾乎沒有參與到我的童年, 他做的就是其他男人做的事: 為國家而戰。 他有兩個妻子和許多孩子。 我的母親是他的第二任妻子, 在 16 歲時嫁給他。 原因只是因為我母親 來自很貧窮的背景, 她沒有其他選擇。 另一方面,我的父親則很富有。 他有很多頭牛。
Gunshots were the order of the day. My community was constantly under attack. Communities would fight each other as they took water along the Nile. But that was not all. Planes would drop the spinning and terrifying bombs that chopped off people's limbs. But the most terrifying thing for every single parent was to see their children being abducted and turned into young soldiers.
槍響聲是家常便飯。 我的社區經常受到攻擊。 社區在沿著尼羅河 取水時,會彼此對抗。 但不只如此。 飛機會投下旋轉、駭人的炸彈, 炸斷人的手腳。 但每位父母親最害怕的 是看著他們的孩子被綁走, 被迫變成年輕士兵。
My mother dug a trench that soon became our home. But yet, we did not feel protected. She had to flee in search of a safe place for us. I was four years old, and my younger sister was two. We joined a huge mass of people, and together we walked for many agonizing days in search of a secure place. But we could barely rest before we were attacked again. I remember my mother was pregnant, when she would take turns to carry me and my younger sister.
我的母親挖了一條壕溝, 它很快就變成了我們的家。 但,我們仍然沒有 受到保護的感覺。 她得要逃出去, 為我們尋找安全的地方。 我當時四歲,我妹妹才兩歲。 我們加入了一大群人, 我們一起行走數日, 那些日子非常痛苦, 為的就是要找個安全的地方。 但幾乎每當我們要休息時, 馬上又會再次受到攻擊。 我記得我母親懷孕了, 她還得要輪流背我和我妹妹。
We finally made it across the Kenyan border, yes. But that was the longest journey that I have ever had in my whole life. My feet were raw with blisters. To our surprise, we found other family members who had fled into the camp earlier on, where you all are today, the Kakuma camp. Now, I want you all to be very quiet just for a moment. Do you hear that? The sound of silence. No gunshots. Peace, at last. That was my first memory of this camp. When you move from a war zone and come to a secure place like Kakuma, you've really gone far.
我們終於通過了肯亞邊境,是的。 但那是我一生中走過最長的旅程。 我的腳紅腫發炎都是水泡。 我們很驚訝的是, 我們發現了其他家人, 他們是先前逃到難民營中的, 也就是現在各位的所在, 卡庫馬難民營。 我想請大家保持非常安靜一下子。 你們聽到了嗎? 寂靜的聲音。 沒有槍響。 和平,終於到來。 那是我對這個難民營的第一個記憶。 從一個戰區搬到 像卡庫馬這樣的安全之地, 真的要走過很長的路。
I only stayed in the camp for three years, though. My father, who had been absent in most of my early childhood, came back into my life. And he organized for me to move with my uncle to our family in Nakuru. There, I found my father's first wife, my half sisters and my half brothers. I got enrolled in school. I remember my first day in school -- I could sing and laugh again -- and my first set of school uniforms, you bet. It was amazing. But then I came to realize that my uncle did not find it fit for me to go to school, simply because I was a girl. My half brothers were his first priority. He would say, "Educating a girl is a waste of time." And for that reason, I missed many days of school, because the fees were not paid. My father stepped in and organized for me to go to boarding school. I remember the faith that he put in me over the couple of years to come. He would say, "Education is an animal that you have to overcome. With an education, you can survive. Education shall be your first husband." And with these words came in his first big investment. I felt lucky!
不過,我只在難民營中待了三年。 我父親,幾乎沒有參與 我童年的父親, 回到了我的人生中。 他為我安排,讓我搬去住在我叔叔 在納庫魯的家。 在那裡,我遇見了 我父親的第一任妻子, 以及我同父異母的兄弟姐妹。 我報名上學。 我記得我在學校的第一天—— 我又能夠再次唱歌、歡笑了—— 當然,我也記得我的第一套學生服。 那真的很棒。 但接著,我漸漸了解到, 我叔叔並不覺得我適合去上學, 只因為我是女孩。 他最重視的是我同父異母的兄弟。 他會說:「讓女孩接受教育 是在浪費時間。」 因為那個理由, 我錯失了很多上學日, 因為我的學費沒有人繳。 我父親介入了, 他為我做安排,讓我上寄宿學校。 我記得接下來幾年 他對我展現的信心。 他會說:「教育是 你必須要去克服的動物。 受過教育,你就能生存。 教育應該是你的第一任丈夫。」 他不只說了這些話, 他還真的做了很大的投資。 我覺得好幸運!
But I was missing something: my mother. My mother had been left behind in the camp, and I had not seen her since I left it. Six years without seeing her was really long. I was alone, in school, when I heard of her death. I've seen many people back in South Sudan lose their lives. I've heard from neighbors lose their sons, their husbands, their children. But I never thought that that would ever come into my life.
但我有個缺憾: 我母親。 我母親被留在難民營, 我離開難民營之後就沒見過她。 沒見到她那的六年是非常漫長的。 我隻身一人, 在學校, 我聽說她過世了。 以前在南蘇丹時, 我曾看過非常多人 失去他們的性命。 我曾聽過許多鄰居 失去他們的兒子、他們的丈夫、 他們的孩子。 但我從來沒有想過我的人生中 也會發生這種事。
A month earlier, my stepmother, who had been so good to me back in Nakuru, died first. Then I came to realize that after giving birth to four girls, my mother had finally given birth to something that could have made her be accepted into the community -- a baby boy, my baby brother. But he, too, joined the list of the dead.
在那之前一個月, 我的繼母先過世了, 在納庫魯時,她一直對我非常好。 接著,我漸漸了解, 生了四個女孩之後, 我母親終於生出了一個 能讓她被社區接受的孩子—— 一個男孩, 我的寶貝弟弟。 但,他也一樣, 也上了死者的名單。
The most hurting part for me was the fact that I wasn't able to attend my mother's burial. I wasn't allowed. They said her family did not find it fit for her children, who are all girls, to attend her burial, simply because we were girls. They would lament to me and say, "We are sorry, Mary, for your loss. We are sorry that your parents never left behind any children." And I would wonder: What are we? Are we not children? In the mentality of my community, only the boy child counted. And for that reason, I knew this was the end of me.
對我來說,最心痛的 是我無法出席我母親的葬禮。 我不被允許。 據說我母親的家人覺得, 她的孩子都是女兒, 所以不適合出席她的葬禮, 只是因為我們是女孩。 他們會向我表示哀悼,並說: 「瑪莉,對你的損失, 我們感到遺憾。 我們很遺憾你的父母 沒有留下任何孩子。」 我會納悶: 那我們算什麼? 我們不算孩子? 我的社區的觀點就是: 只有男孩才算孩子。 基於這個理由, 我知道我就到此為止了。
But I was the eldest girl. I had to take care of my siblings. I had to ensure they went to school. I was 13 years old. How could I have made that happen? I came back to the camp to take care of my siblings. I've never felt so stuck. But then, one of my aunts, Auntie Okoi, decided to take my sisters. My father sent me money from Juba for me to go back to school. Boarding school was heaven, but it was also so hard. I remember during the visiting days when parents would come to school, and my father would miss. But when he did come, he repeated the same faith in me. This time he would say, "Mary, you cannot go astray, because you are the future of your siblings."
但我是長女。 我得要照於我的手足。 我得要確保她們能夠上學。 我當時 13 歲。 我怎麼可能辦到? 我回到難民營,去照顧我的手足。 我從未感到如此膠著。 但接著,我的其中 一位阿姨,歐柯依阿姨 決定接收我的妹妹們。 我父親從朱巴寄錢給我, 讓我回去上學。 寄宿學校簡直是天堂, 但真的很辛苦。 我記得在家長參觀日時, 我爸爸不會出現。 但當他真的來了, 他重複述說他對我的信心。 這次,他說: 「瑪莉,你不能走上歧途, 因為你是你手足的未來。」
But then, in 2012, life took away the only thing that I was clinging on. My father died. My grades in school started to collapse, and when I sat for my final high school exams in 2015, I was devastated to receive a C grade. OK, I keep telling students in my class, "It's not about the A's; it's about doing your best." That was not my best. I was determined. I wanted to go back and try again. But my parents were gone. I had no one to take care of me, and I had no one to pay that fee. I felt so hopeless.
但,接著,在 2012 年, 命運帶走了我唯一的依靠。 我父親過世了。 我在學校的成績開始崩壞, 2015 年我參加高中的期末考, 得到「丙」使我心碎。 我不斷告訴我班上的學生: 「重要的不是要拿甲, 重要的是盡你的全力。」 那不是我的全力。 我下定決定。 我想要回去再試一次。 但我的父母都不在了。 沒有人照顧我, 沒有人能幫我付學費。 我感到好無助。
But then, one of my best friends, a beautiful Kenyan lady, Esther Kaecha, called me during this devastating moment, and she was like, "Mary, you have a strong will. And I have a plan, and it's going to work." OK, when you're in those devastating moments, you accept anything, right? So the plan was, she organized some travel money for us to travel to Anester Victory Girls High School. I remember that day so well. It was raining when we entered the principal's office. We were shaking like two chickens that had been rained on, and we looked at him. He was asking, "What do you want?" And we looked at him with the cat face. "We just want to go back to school." Well, believe it or not, he not only paid our school fees but also our uniform and pocket money for food. Clap for him.
但,接著,我最好的朋友之一, 一位美麗的肯亞女士, 艾瑟爾卡雷恰, 在我一蹶不振的時候打電話給我, 她說:「瑪莉,你有很堅強的意志。 而我有個計畫,它會成功的。」 在你已經一蹶不振的時候, 你什麼都會接受,對吧? 所以,那個計畫就是, 她會弄到一些旅費, 讓我們能前往安納斯特 勝利女子高中。 我對那天的記憶好清楚。 我們進到校長的辦公室時, 外面還在下雨。 我們像淋濕的小雞一樣地發抖, 我們看著他。 他問:「你們要什麼?」 我們用純真的小貓表情看著他: 「我們只想回來上學。」 信不信由你,他不只 付了我們的學費, 還幫我們買制服, 給我們買食物的零用錢。 請為他拍拍手。
(Applause)
(掌聲)
When I finished my high school career, I became the head girl. And when I sat for the KCSE for a second time, I was able to receive a B minus. Clap.
我高中畢業時 拔得頭籌。 當我第二次參加肯亞 中學教育認證考試時, 我得到了乙下,請拍手。
(Applause)
(掌聲)
Thank you.
謝謝。
So I really want to say thank you to Anester Victory, Mr. Gatimu and the whole Anester fraternity for giving me that chance.
我真的很感謝安納斯特 勝利中學,葛提慕先生, 還有所有的安納斯特的 朋友們,給我這個機會。
From time to time, members of my family will insist that my sister and I should get married so that somebody will take care of us. They will say, "We have a man for you." I really hate the fact that people took us as property rather than children. Sometimes they will jokingly say, "You are going to lose your market value the more educated you become." But the truth is, an educated woman is feared in my community. But I told them, this is not what I want. I don't want to get kids at 16 like my mother did. This is not my life. Even though my sisters and I are suffering, there's no way we are heading in that direction. I refuse to repeat history. Educating a girl will create equal and stable societies. And educated refugees will be the hope of rebuilding their countries someday. Girls and women have a part to play in this just as much as men.
有時, 我的家人會堅持 我和我妹妹應該要嫁人, 這樣才有人照顧我們。 他們會說: 「我們為你找了個男人。」 我真的很討厭別人把我們 當資產看待,而不是孩子。 有時,他們會開玩笑說: 「你受到越多教育, 你的市場價值就會越低。」 但,事實是, 我的社區很害怕受教育的女性。 但我告訴他們,這不是我想要的。 我不想要和我母親一樣 在 16 歲時就生小孩。 那不是我的人生。 雖然我的妹妹和我吃了很多苦, 但我們不可能往那條路走。 我拒絕重覆歷史。 提供教育給女孩, 會創造出平等和穩定的社會。 受教育的難民有一天會成為 重建他們國家的希望。 在這件事上,女孩和女人 也有要扮演的角色, 就和男人一樣。
Well, we have men in my family that encourage me to move on: my half brothers and also my half sisters. When I finished my high school career, I moved my sisters to Nairobi, where they live with my stepsister. They live 17 people in a house. But don't pity us. The most important thing is that they all get a decent education. The winners of today are the losers of yesterday, but who never gave up. And that is who we are, my sisters and I. And I'm so proud of that. My biggest investment in life --
在我的家庭中, 有男人會鼓勵我要走下去: 我同父異母的兄弟和姐妹們。 在我完成高中學業時, 我將我的妹妹們搬到奈洛比, 和我繼母的女兒同住。 房子裡住了 17 個人。 但不用憐憫我們。 最重要的是,她們 都得到很好的教育。 今日的贏家, 是昨日的輸家, 只是他們從不放棄。 那就是我們, 我和我的妹妹們。 我感到非常驕傲。 我人生中最大的投資——
(Applause)
(掌聲)
is the education of my sisters. Education creates an equal and fair chance for everyone to make it. I personally believe education is not all about the syllabus. It's about friendship. It's about discovering our talents. It's about discovering our destiny. I will, for example, not forget the joy that I had when I first had singing lessons in school, which is still a passion of mine. But I wouldn't have gotten that anywhere else. As a teacher, I see my classroom as a laboratory that not only generates skills and knowledge but also understanding and hope. Let's take a tree. A tree may have its branches cut, but give it water, and it will grow new branches. For the child of war, an education can turn their tears of loss into a passion for peace. And for that reason, I refuse to give up on a single student in my class.
就是我妹妹們的教育。 教育能創造出平等、 公平的機會,讓人人都能成功。 我個人相信,教育的重點 不只是教學大綱, 還有友情, 還有發現我們的才華, 還有發現我們的命運。 比如,我就不會忘記我在學校 第一次上到唱歌課程時的樂趣, 我到現在仍然熱愛唱歌。 但我在其他地方都不可能 上到那樣的課。 身為老師,我把我的教室 視為是實驗室, 它不只會產生出技能與知識, 還有了解和希望。 用樹木來比喻。 一棵樹木的分枝可能會被砍掉, 但供給它水份,它就會長出新枝。 對戰爭的孩子而言, 教育能將他們因為失去而流下的 眼淚,轉化為對和平的熱忱。 基於這個理由,我拒絕放棄 我班上的任何一個學生。
(Applause)
(掌聲)
Education heals. The school environment gives you a focus to focus ahead. Let's take it this way: when you're busy solving mathematical equations, and you are memorizing poetry, you forget the violence that you witnessed back home. And that is the power of education. It creates this place for peace. Kakuma is teeming with learners. Over 85,000 students are enrolled in schools here, which makes up 40 percent of the refugee population. It includes children who lost years of education because of the war back home. And I want to ask you a question: If education is about building a generation of hope, why are there 120 students packed in my classroom? Why is it that only six percent of the primary school students are making it to high school, simply because we do not have enough places for them? And why is it that only one percent of the secondary school graduates are making it to university?
教育有治癒的力量。 學校環境能夠 讓你專注,把焦點放在前方。 咱們這樣說吧: 當你忙著解數學方程式, 正在背誦詩作時, 你就會忘記你在家鄉所目睹的暴力。 那就是教育的力量。 它能創造出一個和平的地方。 卡庫馬滿滿都是學習者。 這裡的學校招收 超過八萬五千名學生, 這等同於難民人數的 40%。 還包括因為家鄉的戰爭 而錯失數年教育的孩子。 我想要問各位一個問題: 如果教育的目的是要 建立一個希望的世代, 為什麼我的教室中 擠滿了 120 個學生? 為什麼小學學生中只有 6% 能夠進入中學, 原因竟然只是因為 我們沒有足夠的空間容納他們? 為什麼中等學校畢業生中只有 1% 能夠進入大學?
I began by saying that I am a teacher. But once again, I have become a student. In March, I moved to Rwanda on a scholarship program called "Bridge2Rwanda." It prepares scholars for universities. They are able to get a chance to compete for universities abroad. I am now having teachers telling me what to do, instead of the other way round. People are once again investing in me.
我一開頭時有說到,我是位老師。 但,我又再一次變成了學生。 三月,我搬到盧安達, 靠的是一個叫做 「通往盧安達之橋」的獎助專案。 它是在幫助學者為了大學做準備。 他們才能有機會競爭, 進入國外的大學。 現在有老師在告訴我該做什麼, 而不是反過來。 再一次,別人投資在我身上。
So I want to ask you all to invest in young refugees. Think of the tree that we mentioned earlier. We are the generation to plant it, so that the next generation can water it, and the one that follows will enjoy the shade. They will reap the benefits. And the greatest benefit of them all is an education that will last.
所以,我想要請求在座所有人, 投資年輕的難民。 想想我們先前提到的樹木。 我們是種樹的世代, 這樣下一代才能夠澆水, 再下一代則能夠享受在樹下乘涼。 他們能夠收穫益處。 而最大的益處 就是教育會一直持續下去。
Thank you.
謝謝。
(Applause)
(掌聲)