The Malian children who have been displaced from the territory of Azawad after being invaded by the extremist Islamic groups years ago, face great difficulties to access schools because of the limited education institutions in the camp, which was establishedto be a shelter.

In tattered tents resting on the pillars that hung from the roof, every four children share a school desk, while otherchildren are forced to work to provide their daily bread.

The only means of entertainment available for these kids are playing football or racing using garbage bins. They describe their losses by using simple expressions that match their young age and their lacking ability of self-expression. They differ in the choice of words, but they all agree on rejecting the life of asylum, deprivation and the restrictions that come with it.

Ibrahim Ag, who is a fourteen years old orphan, belongs to the category of children who are forced to work in order to cover the expenses of their families due to the lack of money. Ibrahim, whose facerevealed a sort of sadness, said: “the reason I had to work is that the income of my mother who works as a housemaid, in addition to the aid we received weren’t enough to cover our expenses”. He adds: “I use my relative’s carriage to deliver water to people’s houses and sometimes to transport firewood and sell it in the weekly market of the camp”.

Even though many parents want to give their children a good start in life and believe in the value of the skills that children learn in school, the families that stand on the margins of life have to strike a balance between the investment in education and the value that the child’s work could bring to the family.

Impoverished families may be unable to cover the needs of the house; in this case, children find themselves obliged to work.That is why some poor parents think of children’s schooling in these conditions as a waste of time. Thus, the family income becomes a decisive factor. According to some families, a stable income that meets the necessities of family life is their favorite option that allows them to send their children to the schools established by the UNICEF.

In this regard, Abdul Rahman, the father of a twelve years old child who goes to one of the camp’s schools explains: “It is our duty to show interest in our children’s schooling so that they can build a better future for themselves. In addition, education is essential to protect the children of Azawad from failure”.

Mohamed Ag Mahdi, a teacher at a school in the camp, says: "Every war has its losses and victims. It is always the children and the vulnerable categories that pay the highest price in any conflict. This bitter truth is illustrated by the refugee status of children. Among about five thousand children enlisted in the camp, 57% of them are under the age of fifteen; these children have lost the joy of education, playing and entertainment with the loss of their parents, and had to work hard to cover their needs ".

Ag Mahdi finished by saying: “it is necessary to develop joint programs to improve the situation of children and to fight against illiteracy and poverty as they are the cause of the spread of such negative phenomena that cause poor families to ignore their children's education”.