Reality Check: Life at the Internally Displaced Persons Camp

You know when you move away from your little bubble and get to see what life is like in the outside world, that’s when reality hits you. You begin to understand that your life is not as terrible as you think, and to others, you just might be living in a fairytale.

I’ve been perplexed for the past few days. I’ve pondered and wondered how life can be fair to some people and completely unfair to another set of people.

I visited the Internally Displaced Persons camp(IDP) a few days ago and it was an emotional experience for me.

I joined a media team to shoot a documentary about the IDP camp a few days ago, and when I said yes to the project, I never knew what I was getting myself into.

At first, I thought the camp was made up of a few motherless and fatherless children, just like the orphanages I usually visited, but no, I was wrong. I was totally wrong and nothing prepared me for what I saw.

The camp is made up of people who are victims of war, terrorism, genocide, natural disasters etc. This camp is home to over 4,000 children excluding widows. The camp is run by the government but occasionally NGOs, individual donors, foundations, and churches step in to support.

Most of the kids who come into the camp are usually traumatized and are sent for therapy, and the therapy continues until they can settle in. Some of these kids watched their parents die right before them, and some watched their homes burn to the ground with no hope of where to go.

Each of these children has a story. A story the world may never fully hear, but one that deserves to be seen, felt, and remembered.

Looking at the living conditions of these children, I realized I have taken my own life for granted, and how I have been someone who complains about any little discomfort.

As unfair as life has been to these children, they didn’t seem to wear the pain on their faces, nor were they broken. All I could see were young boys and girls living one day at a time, oblivious of the future but making every day count.
In their little groups, they stood, laughing, jumping, and playing, not caring about anything. To me, this is the biggest strength one can ever possess.

Leaving the camp was heavy. Bidding farewell to these kids as we made our way home was both heartbreaking and humbling.

Taking this trip was an eye-opener and a reminder to be grateful, to complain less, and to live more intentionally.

All images were taken by Prince Obaka Photography and were posted with his consent.

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