Sofie, 14 years old, lives with her foster family in a village sponsored by VESOS

(Village Enfant Save Our Souls). She arrived in the VESOS village in south Mali after escaping rebel attacks on neighbouring villages in north Mali. They had to leave so quickly she had no time to pack any personal belongings. They travelled for 14

hours to reach the VESOS village. Sofie feels safe here, but she misses her friends who ‘are scattered all over Mali like feathers in the wind’.

She was placed in eighth grade in the village school, where she has received Plan school supplies to continue her education. “Every day I’m learning something new in school, this makes me happy. And, I am keeping my dreams alive to become a Doctor”.

The conflict in Mali is severely contributing to the growing humanitarian crisis in the Sahel region of West Africa. Find out more about how you can help here; http://www.plan-international.org/sahelappeal