When armed groups in helicopters came and started shooting at the village, Luz Carine was forced to flee with her family.
On Saturday 10 December Colombia’s president Juan Manuel Santos received the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of 8.2 million victims of the more than 50 year long conflict in Colombia. Luz Carine is one of them.
Prayed to God for help
The girl's mother, Luz Arango, tells us about the horrific experience.
"Everyone was crying. We shook, and prayed to God for help. We didn't know what to do. The helicopters were flying above us and shooting everywhere, in the neighbourhood, in the entire village."
The family hid inside their house. They didn't have enough food, and they couldn't sleep.
"The children were so stressed and shook so violently after the attacks that they fell ill," their mother says.
Managed to escape
The third night they spent in hiding, they managed to escape. They made it to Guapi, a village eight hours downriver from their village.
"Now, afterwards, the children are terrified of even the sound from a helicopter," their mother says.
Luz Carine now lives in a small cabin in Guapi with her mother and four siblings. Her father does not live with the rest of the family. It is difficult to find work in Guapi, so her father works outside the village. He comes home to see his family as often as he can, but the journey is expensive, and up to three months can pass between each visit.
Received help
The cabin they live in is made of wood, and the roof is corrugated iron. The rent is much too expensive, but the landlord refuses to lower it, Luz Carine's mother says.
The family has received help from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). Luz Carine and her siblings have received books, pencils and other school supplies.
"I like to go to school because I learn things that will be useful in the future, like maths. I also like school because I have good friends there," says Luz Carine.
Her mother says that the school in Guapi is one of the reasons why they don't want to go home just yet. She herself takes part in the NRC's educational programme for adults, and attends school every Saturday and Sunday to learn how to read and write.
Rights
The Norwegian Refugee Council has also provided legal assistance to the family, to help them receive the economic aid they are entitled to as internally displaced. According to Colombian law, displaced families are to be given support from the government. When the government does not follow the law, the Norwegian Refugee Council aids the families in claiming the support they are entitled to.
Luz Carine has one wish for the future.
"I wish every child in the world could live in peace and be kind to other people and respect them. It doesn't matter how big they are or how they look, but they have to respect each other," she says.
