Sometimes a door can open more than just a room.  For Anne Marie, having a door she could close properly opened her a route out of poverty. 

Anne Marie is a refugee in her own country.  Like 60% of the people in Pader, northern Uganda, she has been displaced from her home by a civil war she never chose to be a part of.

Her parents left her in a temporary settlement camp whilst they went to try and rebuild their village.  Aged just 14, she was left with the responsibility for protecting her four younger siblings and their meagre food stock. 

The trouble was, there was no-one left to protect her.

She couldn’t leave their hut in case someone broke in and stole their food.  She dared not leave the hut anyway for fear of being assaulted again by one of her neighbours for refusing their sexual advances.

But if she didn’t leave the hut she’d never go to school.  And getting an education is her only real chance to build herself a better future and escape the poverty her family has been trapped in for generations.

Luckily War Child were there to give Anne Marie that chance.  A practical solution was to strengthen the door to the hut in order to prevent burglars or intruders. Just as importantly, we strengthened her community and support network as well.  We helped find someone to look after her and the other kids and now they can all go to school.

Milions of children's lives are torn apart by war every year.  There is something we can do to help.  The answer can start with a simple door — sometimes that door can open up a lot more than you'd ever think...

It costs just £15 to buy and fit a strong aluminium door to the hut of a child-headed household. This not only keeps them safe at night, it also enables them to lock it securely during the day so they can go to school.

Click here to donate £15 to War Child now.