When Laydi Viviana's (9) village was attacked, everyone in the village was forced to flee at once. Photo: Ingrid Prestetun/The Norwegian Refugee Council

Fled for her life

Thale Jenssen|Published 10. Dec 2016
"We had to run because we did not want to die," says Laydi Viviana (9) from Colombia.

She tells about when armed groups hid on opposite sides of her village, Caimito, and the villagers were caught in the crossfire. The whole village was forced to flee at once.

When Colombia’s president Juan Manuel Santos receives the Nobel Peace Prize on Saturday 10 December, he receives it on behalf of the entire Colombian population, including 8.2 million victims of the armed conflict. Laydi Viviana is one of them.

Hid under the bed

Laydi Viviana lived with her grandmother when the clashes between the armed groups began. Her parents were working outside the village.

"I hid under the bed when they attacked the village," she says, "They were shooting everywhere, and I didn't want to go outside."

Afterwards, she ran towards the mountains to get away. Later, she and her family got help from an uncle living nearby. They stayed with him until they could return to their village.

The article continues below the photo.

Laydi Viviana (9) and her little sister Elsa (5) had to flee from their village when it was attacked. Photo: Ingrid Prestetun/The Norwegian Refugee Council

Back to the village

When the attacks had ended, Laydi Viviana and her family decided to go home. However, the government has not been able to secure the area around the village, and according to Colombian law, the family is still internally displaced.

Laydi Viviana wishes for peace.

"I want those who have weapons to give them up and I want the war to end," she says.

The article continues below the photo.

Laydi Viviana likes to go to school, and her favourite class is maths. She wants to become a teacher when she grows up. Here she is with NRC employee Eduard Yimi Obregón Hinestroza inside a classroom built by the NRC. Photo: Ingrid Prestetun/The Norwegian Refugee Council

Likes school

In Colombia, The Norwegian Refugee Council makes sure that displaced children like Laydi Viviana gets to go to school. We work closely with local schools, vocational schools and governmental organisations who work with education.

Laydi Viviana likes to go to school, and her favourite class is maths. She wants to become a teacher when she grows up.

"I want to become a teacher so that more children will be able to go to school," she says.

She also wishes someone could help her and her family out of the poverty that closely follows the violent conflicts in the country.

A Christmas wish

Laydi Viviana has one more wish, now that Christmas is drawing near.

"For Christmas, I wish for light bulbs, so that we can have lots of lights around the house and everyone will be happy," she says.

And to other children who have been forced to flee, she has the following message:

"I want to tell them not to be afraid."

Laydi Viviana and her little sister Elsa live in the small village of Caimito in Cauca, Colombia. Photo: Ingrid Prestetun/The Norwegian Refugee Council