Ana and her family have been displaced from another part of Central America and live in Belize. She was 10 years old in November 2018, when she took part in the Camera project and shared this story with me.

I chose this picture because I have loved these birds from the very first time I saw them. They belong to one of my aunts. She keeps them behind the house in a cage. She feeds them and takes care of them and when they get to a certain stage they are allowed to go free. They fly away for a week or so, but then they come back and hang around the house.

I love them because they are beautiful and I love watching them when they fly free. I help to take care of them. Sometimes there are people who throw stones at them and hurt them. Then I take them to my aunt and she puts medicine on the injury and wraps a cloth around the  bird to help it recover.

I love going to school. I am not going at the moment. I was at school before but then we moved for my mum to work and when we came back I could not go anymore because I have lost my birth certificate and they don’t allow you without papers. I was born in El Salvador and my mum has gone there to get my passport. So I stay at home and play by myself.  I try to do things which I did at school. all  my sisters are in the same situation.

I do remember  being in school in my country,. At that time I was living with my grandmother, sisters and my father, but then my mum took me out, I don’t know why. She said don’t worry they can register you here. So we traveled to Guatemala and then through the mountains on a horse, it took more than one day, then we took a bus and there was some water near the road.

I want to be a doctor when I grow up or in the police, because I want to help other people, or in the police I can catch thieves.