Arriving at a refugee camp after driving on dirt roads for two days was strangely relieving. Four-wheel-driving is only fun when there’s a hot shower at the end to wash the dust out of each crevice in your filthy body. We did not have this luxury, but dreamt of it.
Sherkole is not even a dot on the map of Ethiopia. Its closest town is, but Assosa and Sherkole might as well not exist - dwarfed by the vast Sudan, hovering in the west. Sherkole is part of Ethiopia but bears all the trademarks of Sudan. It’s red soil – dust at this time of year, red mud in rainy season – the burning sun, the bamboo and of course the residents of Sherkole Refugee Camp. 9020 displaced Sudanese persons. Their plights are endless. No home, no clothes, and waiting ever so patiently for their rations at the end of the month. Some have been living here for more than 10 years – some have died here. Many more were born here and know no other life.
One thing is certain - most want to go home. Some can never go home so they await resettlement in another country. They have told their story to so many people, but when there is someone new to talk to they are excited, full of conversation and once again optimistic about their future.
