Global perspective Human stories

FROM THE FIELD: From President to shepherd, the dreams of displaced children of the Sahel

One day I will be a: teacher: Sakima from Niger; shepherd: Abdel, Niger; nurse: Maimouna, Central African Republic.
One Day, I Will by Vincent Tremeau presented by UNOCHA
One day I will be a: teacher: Sakima from Niger; shepherd: Abdel, Niger; nurse: Maimouna, Central African Republic.

FROM THE FIELD: From President to shepherd, the dreams of displaced children of the Sahel

Humanitarian Aid

Engineer, nurse, breakdancer, shepherd, human rights lawyer, journalist, musician and president are just some of the future dreams harboured by young displaced people in the Sahel region of Africa.

Children across the region have been asked what they want to be when they grow up as part of a UN photography exhibition entitled "One Day, I will" and while their hopes may match those of other young people around the world, their opportunities, after fleeing their homes, are perhaps more limited.

The UN says there are some three million refugees, internally displaced people and returnees in the Sahel of which a large proportion are under the age of 18; many are not getting a proper education.

On World Children’s Day marked annually on 20 November, see the online exhibition here which features children between the ages of 6 and 18 years old who have dressed up using the props and costumes available to them to illustrate their dream job.