For ten years, the West African country of Burkina Faso has suffered from jihadist terror and the brutal military response. Around 20,000 people have lost their lives, and approximately two million have been displaced. In the Terre des Hommes project, displaced children not only learn to read, write, and do arithmetic, but also to look to the future with hope.

At his school in the small town of Boussouma, a two-hour drive northeast of the capital Ouagadougou, Moctar Sawadogo loves almost everything, but most of all the kids' club: "I never miss a single event," says the 13-year-old. "The supervisor is always there for us, and we have a lot of fun. I'm very happy there." Moctar continues, explaining that he used to be afraid to go into town alone. But since he started going to the kids' club, he has become much more self-confident. "I know how to protect myself if someone wants to hurt me."

Four family members died in one day

Moctar hasn't always lived in Boussouma. He is one of more than a million children in Burkina Faso who have fled attacks by armed groups. His home village of Yirgou was repeatedly raided. Therefore, the family decided to leave all their possessions behind and flee to Fouba. But even there, there was no safety. "The armed men came and shot at anything that moved," the father recounts. "Four family members died that day. But I was able to escape with my children. We've been in Boussouma for two years now. Life is hard here too. We lack almost everything." Despite this, Moctar is a child who radiates joy. This is thanks in part to the children's club at his school and the learning center that was opened in Boussouma with the help of the local organization FDC*, the BMZ**, the Postcode Lottery, and Terre des Hommes . It enables hundreds of displaced children who never went to school or dropped out early to catch up on their missed education and find their way into a public school. Moctar is one of them. He is now in fifth grade and is a very good student. He is proud of that.

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