It\u2019s been almost 25 years since Janet has been home. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Janet fled her village when she was just a small girl. At the height of the ethnic conflicts in the country, soldiers attacked her village, killing her mother in front of her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey killed my mum with a machete and hit me as well. I had to run away,\u201d she recalls. \u201cI didn\u2019t know where I was going, I was just following the crowd. I fled on my own. To this day, I don\u2019t know if my father is still alive or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
After years of living a nomadic life, Janet finally arrived in Zambia and settled in Meheba, a UNHCR-run refugee camp. She\u2019s since married and had four children, but has never been able to return home to DRC.<\/p>\n
Last year, Janet started working with Self Help Africa and the UNHCR as part of a farmer graduation project in Meheba camp. The project aims to train 300 refugee families like Janet\u2019s to become self-sufficient farmers. Each participating household is assigned a plot of land and is provided with agricultural training, as well as seeds, equipment and livestock.<\/p>\n