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Alberta's Story [1]

Alberta came to the U.K. in June 1999 from Kosovo. She was six years old at the time.

"I remember the day the soldiers came. They took my Dad away. My Mum was going to have a baby soon and said we had to hide in the cellar because she could not run fast.

My little sister Erina was two years old. She started screaming and I was so afraid that they would find us. So my Mum tied a scarf around Erina's mouth so she could not be heard. The soldiers burnt our house and we were saved because we were in the cellar under the ground.

The next morning we fled from our village and stayed with our relatives in a village a little distance away.

We stayed there for six months but then had to go and hide in the mountains. We lived on potatoes the local people had buried because they thought the soldiers might come.

My Daddy found us, and took us to get a plane to fly to Leeds in England.

The people made us so happy. The children in the school had collected toys to give us. My Mum said she was so ashamed we were in dirty clothes.

My daddy has gone back to Kosovo to build a house. My Daddy used to sell vegetables but he has no money now. I hope he will come back soon."

[1] Taken from Lewisham EMAS: Refugee Week 2003, Resources for Primary School activities