Mary Maker: Why I fight for the education of refugee girls (like me)
Mary Maker: Por qué lucho por la educación de niñas refugiadas (como yo)
Mary Maker believes in the power of education to build peace and rebuild lives. Full bio
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to live our lives.
in South Sudan,
in front of 120 students,
frente a 120 estudiantes,
desgarrados por la guerra.
in order to stay alive.
para permanecer con vida.
back home in South Sudan
que están en Sudán del Sur,
or they have a different belief.
o tienen creencias distintas.
devastated by war.
países africanos devastados por la guerra.
they make friends,
en mi aula, hacen amigos,
of so many other refugees.
la de muchos otros refugiados.
cuando yo todavía era bebé.
in most of my early childhood,
la mayor parte de mi infancia,
came from a poor background,
mi madre era de origen pobre
as they took water along the Nile.
aun cuando sacaban agua del Nilo.
and terrifying bombs
terribles bombas de rebote
for every single parent
and turned into young soldiers.
y convertidos en jóvenes soldados.
of a safe place for us.
de un lugar seguro para nosotros.
and my younger sister was two.
y mi hermana menor, dos.
for many agonizing days
muchos días agonizantes
to carry me and my younger sister.
a mi hermana y a mí por turnos.
the Kenyan border, yes.
la frontera con Kenia.
that I have ever had in my whole life.
que he hecho en mi vida.
por las ampollas.
who had fled into the camp earlier on,
que habían huido al campamento antes,
just for a moment.
en silencio por un momento.
de este campamento.
for three years, though.
solo durante tres años.
in most of my early childhood,
la mayor parte de mi infancia,
to move with my uncle
para que me mudara con mi tío
esposa de mi padre,
I could sing and laugh again --
--podía cantar y reír de nuevo--
uniforms, you bet.
for me to go to school,
que yo fuera a la escuela
is a waste of time."
es una pérdida de tiempo".
many days of school,
muchos días de escuela
to go to boarding school.
over the couple of years to come.
en los dos años siguientes.
that you have to overcome.
animal que hay que vencer.
his first big investment.
su primera gran inversión.
behind in the camp,
en el campamento
desde que lo abandoné.
was really long.
would ever come into my life.
back in Nakuru, died first.
en Nakuru, había muerto primero.
after giving birth to four girls,
tras dar a luz a cuatro niñas,
given birth to something
be accepted into the community --
la comunidad la aceptase:
to attend my mother's burial.
al funeral de mi madre.
to attend her burial,
asistiéramos al funeral
never left behind any children."
no dejaran descendencia".
I knew this was the end of me.
que había llegado mi fin.
to take care of my siblings.
para hacerme cargo de mis hermanas.
for me to go back to school.
para que volviera a la escuela.
but it was also so hard.
pero también era muy duro.
when parents would come to school,
cuando los padres podían vernos,
of your siblings."
that I was clinging on.
lo único a lo que me aferraba.
high school exams in 2015,
finales de bachillerato en 2015,
it's about doing your best."
sino de hacerlo lo mejor posible".
you have a strong will.
una voluntad de hierro.
and it's going to work."
moments, you accept anything, right?
aceptamos cualquier cosa, ¿verdad?
some travel money
un poco de dinero para viajar
Anester Victory Girls High School.
Anester Victory.
the principal's office.
en la oficina del director.
that had been rained on,
dos pollitos empapados de lluvia
he not only paid our school fees
pagó nuestros estudios
and pocket money for food.
y nos dio mesadas para comida.
for a second time,
al examen por segunda vez,
to Anester Victory, Mr. Gatimu
a Anester Victory, al Sr. Gatimu
for giving me that chance.
por darme esa oportunidad.
that my sister and I should get married
mi hermana y yo nos casáramos
que cuidara de nosotras.
took us as property rather than children.
nos considerara una propiedad y no hijas.
in my community.
son temidas en mi comunidad.
like my mother did.
a los 16 como mi madre.
and I are suffering,
heading in that direction.
equal and stable societies.
sociedades estables e igualitarias.
serán la esperanza
a part to play in this
forman parte de esto,
that encourage me to move on:
me animaron a salir adelante:
where they live with my stepsister.
donde viven con mi hermanastra.
is that they all get a decent education.
reciben una educación decente.
for everyone to make it.
e iguales a todos para tener éxito.
is not all about the syllabus.
solo un programa de estudios.
the joy that I had
la alegría que sentí
lessons in school,
de canto en la escuela,
my classroom as a laboratory
como un laboratorio
skills and knowledge
habilidades y conocimientos,
grow new branches.
le brotarán nuevas ramas.
into a passion for peace.
su llanto de pérdida en pasión por la paz.
on a single student in my class.
con ninguno de mis alumnos.
mathematical equations,
ecuaciones matemáticas
that you witnessed back home.
han visto en su hogar.
are enrolled in schools here,
matriculados en escuelas de aquí,
of the refugee population.
de la población refugiada,
of education because of the war back home.
años de educación a causa de la guerra.
building a generation of hope,
una generación de esperanza,
packed in my classroom?
hacinados en mi aula?
of the primary school students
estudiantes de escuela primaria
enough places for them?
no tenemos sitio para todos?
of the secondary school graduates
de los graduados de educación secundaria
called "Bridge2Rwanda."
llamada "Bridge2Rwanda",
para la universidad.
for universities abroad.
a una universidad extranjera.
telling me what to do,
que me dicen qué debo hacer
to invest in young refugees.
que inviertan en los jóvenes refugiados.
that we mentioned earlier.
del que les he hablado.
will enjoy the shade.
de la sombra que dé.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Mary Maker - TeacherMary Maker believes in the power of education to build peace and rebuild lives.
Why you should listen
A refugee from South Sudan's civil war, Mary Maker found solace and hope through education. She has lived in Kakuma refugee camp for several years, where she worked as a school teacher to a class of 120 students. She is now student again, attending a scholarship program in Rwanda, putting her on a path to university.
Mary Maker | Speaker | TED.com