Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
French soldiers patrol the airport in Bangui,
the capital of the Central African Republic, where violence between
armed groups has created an ongoing humanitarian emergency.
Over 800,000 civilians have fled their homes.
Some are living communally, some have fled the country, and
others are living in improvised shelter in camps all over the country.
Among the displaced are many children like Petula.
Forty thousand people are seeking refuge in the Boy Rabe monastery compound in Bangui.
The international community has responded to the emergency in CAR
with much-needed supplies.
UNICEF and its partners are providing life-saving vaccines, clinics and temporary learning spaces.
The demand is overwhelming.
Despite these interventions, the environment in the camps is dangerous,
especially for girls. And so, despite the ongoing violence in her neighbourhood,
Petula has decided to return home.
Petula shares a room that doubles as a kitchen with three of her sisters.
Petula's extended family makes her feel safe,
but the violence lurks everywhere. Just after we finished filming in the garden,
a large group of armed men walk next to her home. The longer this crisis drags on,
the longer children like Petula are at risk.
This is Patrick Flynn reporting for UNICEF Television.
For more information, visit unicef.org.