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We do not choose where to be born. We do not choose who our parents are.
我们无法选择在哪里出生。我们无法选择我们的父母是谁。
But we do choose how we are going to live our lives.
但我们可以选择我们要如何过我们的人生。
I did not choose to be born in South Sudan, a country rife with conflict.
我没选择生在南苏丹，那个国家不断发生冲突。
I did not choose my name -- Nyiriak, which means "war."
我的名字也不是我选择的--妮莉亚克，它的意思是“战争”。
I've always rejected it and all the legacy it was born into. I choose to be called Mary.
我一直都很排斥它以及它所连带的遗产。我选择被称为玛莉。
As a teacher, I've stood in front of 120 students, so this stage does not intimidate me.
身为老师，我曾经站在120个学生面前，所以这个舞台并不会让我害怕。
My students come from war-torn countries.
我的学生来自被战争肆虐的国家。
They're so different from each other, but they have one thing in common: they fled their homes in order to stay alive.
他们每个人都好不一样，但他们有一个共通点：他们都为了求生存而逃离了他们的国家。
Some of them belong to parents back home in South Sudan who are killing each other
当中有些人的父母还留在南苏丹的家乡，他们彼此残杀，
because they belong to a different tribe or they have a different belief.
因为他们属于不同的部落，或因为他们有不同的信仰。
Others come from other African countries devastated by war.
其他人则是来自其他被战争催残的非洲国家。
But when they enter my class, they make friends, they walk home together, they do their homework together.
但当他们来上我的课，他们会交朋友，他们会一起走路回家，他们会一起做功课。
There is no hatred allowed in my class.
我的班上不容许任何仇恨。
My story is like that of so many other refugees. The war came when I was still a baby.
我的故事和许多其他难民的故事很像。我还很小的时候战争就开始了。
And my father, who had been absent in most of my early childhood,
我的父亲几乎没有参与到我的童年，
was doing what other men were doing: fighting for the country.
他做的就是其他男人做的事：为国家而战。
He had two wives and many children. My mother was his second wife, married to him at the age of 16.
他有两个妻子和许多孩子。我的母亲是他的第二任妻子，在16岁时嫁给他。
This is simply because my mother came from a poor background, and she had no choice.
原因只是因为我母亲来自很贫穷的背景，她没有其他选择。
My father, on the other hand, was rich. He had many cows.
另一方面，我的父亲则很富有。他有很多头牛。
Gunshots were the order of the day. My community was constantly under attack.
枪响声是家常便饭。我的社区经常受到攻击。
Communities would fight each other as they took water along the Nile. But that was not all.
社区在沿着尼罗河取水时，会彼此对抗。但不只如此。
Planes would drop the spinning and terrifying bombs that chopped off people's limbs.
飞机会投下旋转、骇人的炸弹，炸断人的手脚。
But the most terrifying thing for every single parent was to see their children being abducted and turned into young soldiers.
但每位父母亲最害怕的是看着他们的孩子被绑走，被迫变成年轻士兵。
My mother dug a trench that soon became our home. But yet, we did not feel protected.
我的母亲挖了一条壕沟，它很快就变成了我们的家。但我们仍然没有受到保护的感觉。
She had to flee in search of a safe place for us. I was four years old, and my younger sister was two.
她得要逃出去，为我们寻找安全的地方。我当时四岁，我妹妹才两岁。
We joined a huge mass of people, and together we walked for many agonizing days in search of a secure place.
我们加入了一大群人，我们一起行走数日，那些日子非常痛苦，为的就是要找个安全的地方。
But we could barely rest before we were attacked again.
但几乎每当我们要休息时，马上又会再次受到攻击。
I remember my mother was pregnant, when she would take turns to carry me and my younger sister.
我记得我母亲怀孕了，她还得要轮流背我和我妹妹。
We finally made it across the Kenyan border, yes. But that was the longest journey that I have ever had in my whole life.
我们终于通过了肯尼亚边境，是的。但那是我一生中走过最长的旅程。
My feet were raw with blisters. To our surprise,
我的脚红肿发炎都是水泡。我们很惊讶的是，
we found other family members who had fled into the camp earlier on, where you all are today, the Kakuma camp.
我们发现了其他家人，他们是先前逃到难民营中的，也就是现在各位的所在，卡库马难民营。
Now, I want you all to be very quiet just for a moment.
我想请大家保持非常安静一下子。
Do you hear that? The sound of silence. No gunshots. Peace, at last. That was my first memory of this camp.
你们听到了吗？寂静的声音。没有枪响。和平，终于到来。那是我对这个难民营的第一个记忆。
When you move from a war zone and come to a secure place like Kakuma, you've really gone far.
从一个战区搬到像卡库马这样的安全之地，真的要走过很长的路。
I only stayed in the camp for three years, though.
不过，我只在难民营中待了三年。
My father, who had been absent in most of my early childhood, came back into my life.
我父亲，几乎没有参与我童年的父亲，回到了我的人生中。
And he organized for me to move with my uncle to our family in Nakuru.
他为我安排，让我搬去住在我叔叔在纳库鲁的家。
There, I found my father's first wife, my half sisters and my half brothers. I got enrolled in school.
在那里，我遇见了我父亲的第一任妻子，以及我同父异母的兄弟姐妹。我报名上学。
I remember my first day in school -- I could sing and laugh again -- and my first set of school uniforms, you bet.
我记得我在学校的第一天--我又能够再次唱歌、欢笑了--当然，我也记得我的第一套学生服。
It was amazing. But then I came to realize that my uncle did not find it fit for me to go to school, simply because I was a girl.
那真的很棒。但接着，我渐渐了解到，我叔叔并不觉得我适合去上学，只因为我是女孩。
My half brothers were his first priority. He would say, "Educating a girl is a waste of time."
他最重视的是我同父异母的兄弟。他会说：“让女孩接受教育是在浪费时间。”
And for that reason, I missed many days of school, because the fees were not paid.
因为那个理由，我错失了很多上学日，因为我的学费没有人缴。
My father stepped in and organized for me to go to boarding school.
我父亲介入了，他为我做安排，让我上寄宿学校。
I remember the faith that he put in me over the couple of years to come.
我记得接下来几年他对我展现的信心。
He would say, "Education is an animal that you have to overcome.
他会说：“教育是你必须要去克服的动物。
With an education, you can survive. Education shall be your first husband."
受过教育，你就能生存。教育应该是你的第一任丈夫。”
And with these words came in his first big investment. I felt lucky!
他不只说了这些话，他还真的做了很大的投资。我觉得好幸运！
But I was missing something: my mother. My mother had been left behind in the camp, and I had not seen her since I left it.
但我有个缺憾：我母亲。我母亲被留在难民营，我离开难民营之后就没见过她。
Six years without seeing her was really long. I was alone, in school, when I heard of her death.
没见到她那的六年是非常漫长的。我只身一人，在学校，我听说她过世了。
I've seen many people back in South Sudan lose their lives.
以前在南苏丹时，我曾看过非常多人失去他们的性命。
I've heard from neighbors lose their sons, their husbands, their children.
我曾听过许多邻居失去他们的儿子、他们的丈夫、他们的孩子。
But I never thought that that would ever come into my life.
但我从来没有想过我的人生中也会发生这种事。
A month earlier, my stepmother, who had been so good to me back in Nakuru, died first.
在那之前一个月，我的继母先过世了，在纳库鲁时，她一直对我非常好。
Then I came to realize that after giving birth to four girls,
接着，我渐渐了解，生了四个女孩之后，
my mother had finally given birth to something that could have made her be accepted into the community
我母亲终于生出了一个能让她被社区接受的孩子
a baby boy, my baby brother. But he, too, joined the list of the dead.
一个男孩，我的宝贝弟弟。但，他也一样，也上了死者的名单。
The most hurting part for me was the fact that I wasn't able to attend my mother's burial. I wasn't allowed.
对我来说，最心痛的是我无法出席我母亲的葬礼。我不被允许。
They said her family did not find it fit for her children, who are all girls, to attend her burial,
据说我母亲的家人觉得，她的孩子都是女儿，所以不适合出席她的葬礼，
simply because we were girls. They would lament to me and say, "We are sorry, Mary, for your loss.
只是因为我们是女孩。他们会向我表示哀悼，并说：“玛莉，对你的损失我们感到遗憾。
We are sorry that your parents never left behind any children."
我们很遗憾你的父母没有留下任何孩子。”
And I would wonder: What are we? Are we not children?
我会纳闷：那我们算什么？我们不算孩子？
In the mentality of my community, only the boy child counted. And for that reason, I knew this was the end of me.
我的社区的观点就是：只有男孩才算孩子。基于这个理由，我知道我就到此为止了。
But I was the eldest girl. I had to take care of my siblings.
但我是长女。我得要照顾我的手足。
I had to ensure they went to school. I was 13 years old. How could I have made that happen?
我得要确保她们能够上学。我当时13岁。我怎么可能办到？
I came back to the camp to take care of my siblings. I've never felt so stuck.
我回到难民营去照顾我的手足。我从未感到如此胶着。
But then, one of my aunts, Auntie Okoi, decided to take my sisters.
但接着，我的其中一位阿姨，欧柯依阿姨，决定接收我的妹妹们。
My father sent me money from Juba for me to go back to school.
我父亲从朱巴寄钱给我，让我回去上学。
Boarding school was heaven, but it was also so hard.
寄宿学校简直是天堂，但真的很辛苦。
I remember during the visiting days when parents would come to school, and my father would miss.
我记得在家长参观日时，我爸爸不会出现。
But when he did come, he repeated the same faith in me.
但当他真的来了，他重复述说他对我的信心。
This time he would say, "Mary, you cannot go astray, because you are the future of your siblings."
这次他说：“玛莉，你不能走上歧途，因为你是你手足的未来。”
But then, in 2012, life took away the only thing that I was clinging on.
但接着在2012年，命运带走了我唯一的依靠。
My father died. My grades in school started to collapse,
我父亲过世了。我在学校的成绩开始崩溃，
and when I sat for my final high school exams in 2015, I was devastated to receive a C grade.
2015年我参加高中的期末考试，得到了一个“C”，这使我心碎。
OK, I keep telling students in my class, "It's not about the A's; it's about doing your best."
我不断告诉我班上的学生：“重要的不是要拿A，重要的是尽你的全力。”
That was not my best. I was determined. I wanted to go back and try again.
那不是我的全力。我下了决定。我想要回去再试一次。
But my parents were gone. I had no one to take care of me, and I had no one to pay that fee. I felt so hopeless.
但我的父母都不在了。没有人照顾我，没有人能帮我付学费。我感到好无助。
But then, one of my best friends, a beautiful Kenyan lady, Esther Kaecha, called me during this devastating moment,
但接着，我最好的朋友之一，一位美丽的肯尼亚女士，艾瑟尔·卡雷恰，在我一蹶不振的时候打电话给我，
and she was like, "Mary, you have a strong will. And I have a plan, and it's going to work."
她说：“玛莉，你有很坚强的意志。而我有个计划，它会成功的。”
OK, when you're in those devastating moments, you accept anything, right?
在你已经一蹶不振的时候，你什么都会接受，对吧？
So the plan was, she organized some travel money for us to travel to Anester Victory Girls High School.
所以，那个计划就是，她会弄到一些旅费，让我们能前往安纳斯特胜利女子高中。
I remember that day so well. It was raining when we entered the principal's office.
我对那天的记忆好清楚。我们进到校长的办公室时，外面还在下雨。
We were shaking like two chickens that had been rained on, and we looked at him. He was asking, "What do you want?"
我们像淋湿的小鸡一样地发抖，我们看着他。他问：“你们要什么？”
And we looked at him with the cat face. "We just want to go back to school."
我们用纯真的小猫表情看着他：“我们只想回来上学。”
Well, believe it or not, he not only paid our school fees but also our uniform and pocket money for food. Clap for him.
信不信由你，他不只付了我们的学费，还帮我们买校服，给我们买食物的零用钱。请为他鼓鼓掌。
When I finished my high school career, I became the head girl.
我高中毕业时拔得头筹。
And when I sat for the KCSE for a second time, I was able to receive a B minus. Clap. Thank you.
当我第二次参加肯尼亚中学教育认证考试时，我得到了B-，请鼓掌。谢谢。
So I really want to say thank you to Anester Victory, Mr. Gatimu and the whole Anester fraternity for giving me that chance.
我真的很感谢安纳斯特胜利中学，葛提慕先生，还有所有的安纳斯特的朋友们，给我这个机会。
From time to time, members of my family will insist that my sister and I should get married
有时，我的家人会坚持我和我妹妹应该要嫁人，
so that somebody will take care of us. They will say, "We have a man for you."
这样才有人照顾我们。他们会说：“我们为你找了个男人。”
I really hate the fact that people took us as property rather than children.
我真的很讨厌别人把我们当资产看待，而不是孩子。
Sometimes they will jokingly say, "You are going to lose your market value the more educated you become."
有时，他们会开玩笑说：“你受到越多教育，你的市场价值就会越低。”
But the truth is, an educated woman is feared in my community.
但事实是，我的社区很害怕受教育的女性。
But I told them, this is not what I want. I don't want to get kids at 16 like my mother did.
但我告诉他们，这不是我想要的。我不想要和我母亲一样在16岁时就生小孩。
This is not my life. Even though my sisters and I are suffering, there's no way we are heading in that direction.
那不是我的人生。虽然我的妹妹和我吃了很多苦，但我们不可能往那条路走。
I refuse to repeat history. Educating a girl will create equal and stable societies.
我拒绝重覆历史。提供教育给女孩，会创造出平等和稳定的社会。
And educated refugees will be the hope of rebuilding their countries someday.
受教育的难民有一天会成为重建他们国家的希望。
Girls and women have a part to play in this just as much as men.
在这件事上，女孩和女人也有要扮演的角色，就和男人一样。
Well, we have men in my family that encourage me to move on: my half brothers and also my half sisters.
在我的家庭中，有男人会鼓励我要走下去：我同父异母的兄弟和姐妹们。
When I finished my high school career, I moved my sisters to Nairobi, where they live with my stepsister.
在我完成高中学业时，我将我的妹妹们搬到奈洛比，和我继母的女儿同住。
They live 17 people in a house. But don't pity us.
房子里住了17个人。但不用怜悯我们。
The most important thing is that they all get a decent education.
最重要的是，她们都得到很好的教育。
The winners of today are the losers of yesterday, but who never gave up.
今日的赢家，是昨日的输家，只是他们从不放弃。
And that is who we are, my sisters and I.
那就是我们，我和我的妹妹们。
And I'm so proud of that. My biggest investment in life -- is the education of my sisters.
我感到非常骄傲。我人生中最大的投资--就是我妹妹们的教育。
Education creates an equal and fair chance for everyone to make it.
教育能创造出平等、公平的机会，让人人都能成功。
I personally believe education is not all about the syllabus.
我个人相信，教育的重点不只是教学大纲。
It's about friendship. It's about discovering our talents. It's about discovering our destiny.
还有友情。还有发现我们的才华。还有发现我们的命运。
I will, for example, not forget the joy that I had when I first had singing lessons in school,
比如，我就不会忘记我在学校第一次上到唱歌课程时的乐趣，
which is still a passion of mine. But I wouldn't have gotten that anywhere else.
我到现在仍然热爱唱歌。但我在其他地方都不可能上到那样的课。
As a teacher, I see my classroom as a laboratory that not only generates skills and knowledge but also understanding and hope.
身为老师，我把我的教室视为是实验室，它不只会产生出技能与知识，还有了解和希望。
Let's take a tree. A tree may have its branches cut, but give it water, and it will grow new branches.
用树木来比喻。一棵树木的分枝可能会被砍掉，但供给它水份，它就会长出新枝。
For the child of war, an education can turn their tears of loss into a passion for peace.
对战争的孩子而言，教育能将他们因为失去而流下的眼泪，转化为对和平的热忱。
And for that reason, I refuse to give up on a single student in my class.
基于这个理由，我拒绝放弃我班上的任何一个学生。
Education heals. The school environment gives you a focus to focus ahead.
教育有治愈的力量。学校环境能够让你专注，把焦点放在前方。
Let's take it this way: when you're busy solving mathematical equations, and you are memorizing poetry,
咱们这样说吧：当你忙着解数学方程式，正在背诵诗作时，
you forget the violence that you witnessed back home.
你就会忘记你在家乡所目睹的暴力。
And that is the power of education. It creates this place for peace. Kakuma is teeming with learners.
那就是教育的力量。它能创造出一个和平的地方。卡库马满满都是学习者。
Over 85,000 students are enrolled in schools here, which makes up 40 percent of the refugee population.
这里的学校招收超过八万五千名学生，这等同于难民人数的40%。
It includes children who lost years of education because of the war back home.
还包括因为家乡的战争而错失数年教育的孩子。
And I want to ask you a question: If education is about building a generation of hope,
我想要问各位一个问题：如果教育的目的是要建立一个希望的世代，
why are there 120 students packed in my classroom?
为什么我的教室中挤满了120个学生？
Why is it that only six percent of the primary school students are making it to high school,
为什么小学学生中只有6%能够进入中学，
simply because we do not have enough places for them?
原因竟然只是因为我们没有足够的空间容纳他们？
And why is it that only one percent of the secondary school graduates are making it to university?
为什么中等学校毕业生中只有1%能够进入大学？
I began by saying that I am a teacher. But once again, I have become a student.
我一开头时有说到，我是位老师。但我又再一次变成了学生。
In March, I moved to Rwanda on a scholarship program called "Bridge2Rwanda."
今年三月，我搬到卢安达，靠的是一个叫做“通往卢安达之桥”的奖助项目。
It prepares scholars for universities. They are able to get a chance to compete for universities abroad.
它是在帮助学者为了大学做准备。他们才能有机会竞争，进入国外的大学。
I am now having teachers telling me what to do, instead of the other way round. People are once again investing in me.
现在有老师在告诉我该做什么，而不是反过来。再一次，别人投资在我身上。
So I want to ask you all to invest in young refugees. Think of the tree that we mentioned earlier.
所以，我想要请求在座所有人，投资年轻的难民。想想我们先前提到的树木。
We are the generation to plant it, so that the next generation can water it, and the one that follows will enjoy the shade.
我们是种树的世代，这样下一代才能够浇水，再下一代则能够享受在树下乘凉。
They will reap the benefits. And the greatest benefit of them all is an education that will last. Thank you.
他们能够收获益处。而最大的益处就是教育会一直持续下去。谢谢。
