I Felt Lost and Alone in the Classroom

Bakhita arrived in Uganda as a refugee from South Sudan. She spoke Dinka and Arabic. The children around her spoke other languages. Inside the classroom, ordinary communication became difficult. She did not simply feel new. She felt alone. Imagine sitting among children your own age and being unable to join conversations that appear effortless for everyone else. Bakhita described feeling lost. But she kept attending. Life-skills programmes helped her build confidence. She improved her ability to communicate. She became more involved. Over time, the refugee girl who once felt alone in the classroom became somebody younger girls could look up to. Loneliness sometimes convinces us that the place we are struggling in will always feel foreign. Bakhita discovered that belonging can be learned slowly. One conversation at a time. Have you ever entered a room where everybody seemed to belong except you? This is an editorial retelling of a documented account. Original storyteller: Bakhita Aluel. Country: Uganda / South Sudan. Source: UNICEF Uganda.