Ibrahim Adam, aged 12, spoke to Alun McDonald from Oxfam in Abu Shouk camp, North Darfur.

"The best part of my day is going to school. There I get to do my two favourite things: learn to write, and play with my friends. If I can't write then I will not be able to become a doctor, and if I can't see my friends then life would be very boring.

"I came to the camp three years ago from a small village. I don't know how far away it is, but we walked a long way for a few days. My mother and father and my three sisters all came. I didn't know why we left and I didn't want to go, but later I found out the nearby village was attacked and my uncle's family was killed.

"In the village I used to have lots of friends. We tried to help our parents work in the fields, but really we just liked to play football and hide and seek. Some of my friends came with us to this camp, and I still see them every day, but some of the others... I don't know what happened to them. I hope they are ok and I will see them again soon. Abdallah was my best friend - I don't have any brothers but he was like family and we used to do everything together - but I haven't seen him since the day we left.

"My mother wakes me up before 7 o'clock so I can get washed and dressed and say my prayers. At the moment I go to school in the camp, but the schools here are only for basic classes, so soon I will have to go to school in the town if I want to continue to learn more. I would prefer to stay here instead... sometimes it can be dangerous for boys walking into the town as there are lots of soldiers. It is safer to get a bus but that costs money every day.

"At school we learn maths, and how to read and write in Arabic. We have started some English classes as well. I know how to say 'hello' and the names of the animals we have in the camp such as goats and donkeys. I don't like maths but I like writing very much. Maybe one day I will write a book!

"Before we came here we used to eat meat all the time, but I haven't eaten meat for weeks as it is very expensive and just for special occasions.

"As there is no school today, my friends and I have to work. My father has gone into the town to try and find some work to get money. My mother is at home making the food and doing the washing, and my sisters are collecting the water.

"I have to go to the edge of the camp and make bricks out of mud. We dig the mud with a shovel and then shape it into rectangles and leave it in the sun to dry. It is hard work and I would rather be in school or playing, but at least my friends are also here and now we are in winter so it's not so hot. We stop for breakfast before midday. Today we ate fuul (stewed beans) with tomatoes from the market.

"In one day I can make about 100 small bricks. Some of the other boys sell them but my father wants us to keep them and make our house nicer. When we first came it was horrible. In our village we had a nice home and lots of land, but here all six of us had to stay under one small plastic sheet. We slept on the floor and there was no shelter from the heat and the dust. But now we have a proper house, with mud bricks and different rooms for the kitchen and bedrooms.

"This afternoon I went to a health class organised by Oxfam. Working outside making bricks all day makes me thirsty, so sometimes I drink from the pools of water nearby. But one of the women at the class told me that this is very dangerous and could make me sick and that only the water from the pumps is safe to drink.

"My father comes and helps me carry the bricks back to our home. He's very happy as he managed to find a job today in the market in town. Sometimes when they can't find work the adults get very depressed. Life is difficult here.

"I am happy here most of the time because I can go to school - in my village there were no schools. But for my parents I know they have many problems and would like to go home.

"At home my mother usually makes the dinner, but today my older sister - Fatima - is cooking so she can practice. She makes a vegetable stew with bread - it's ok but I prefer my mother's cooking!

"I go to bed early. After 7 o'clock it gets dark and my mother won't let me play outside when the sun goes down. It can be frightening - sometimes there is shooting outside so loud I can't get to sleep.

"I don't know why people do this shooting. I wish they would stop."

See the rest of our World Refugee Day 2008 coverage

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