(IFRC) – Upon their arrival at an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Bangui, Central African Republic, several children run toward the Red Cross team, clapping their hands and cheering, a sign of appreciation for the team’s arrival with humanitarian aid, to keep them going, at least for the time being. These children, victims of a war that is not theirs, bear the trauma of family disintegration, dropping out of school, abuse, movement restriction, insecurity and the inability to be who they are – children! Among them is Benicia Anjikapou, 9, who lived with her parents and four siblings in the neighborhood of Combatant before violence erupted. She was a class two pupil at a nearby primary school, living the normal life of a child. When armed clashes broke out in Bangui, her world was turned upside down. The worst happened. Her father, who worked in the capital, did not return home – he had been killed.
