Ireland, where Maimba and Sarfraz settled, is home to about 6,000 refugees, 11% of whom are children, according to UNICEF . In addition, roughly 5,000 asylum-seekers are still awaiting a decision about their status, with the looming possibility of deportation should they exhaust their appeals. Until recently, Maimba, Sarfraz, and their families were part of the latter category — Maimba received authorisation to stay in the country on Christmas Eve 2014 and Sarfraz got her legal status a year later. Both girls spent years in limbo, not knowing if they would be able to stay in the country where they were making a home.Refugee children have a specific set of needs — education, for one thing, as well as a stable home life and protection from discrimination. A refugee child is five times more likely to be out of school than a non-refugee child and the older the child, the less likely that he or she is in school. Refugee children are also uniquely vulnerable to discrimination and bullying, something Sarfraz says she experienced when a few elementary school classmates embarked on a campaign to torment her after they found out she lived in the asylum centre.“There’s always some moments when there’s something said or you’re kind of alone,” Maimba says.When she speaks, she gives the impression that every word is deliberately chosen. “Like recently, my teacher, we were discussing the E.U., and what it means to be a citizen of the E.U. My teacher said, ‘Well, everyone in here is an E.U. citizen, right?’ And I was the only one in the room who said, ‘Well, I’m not.’ It makes you feel a little different."In each other, Maimba and Sarfraz found a support system. “It felt relieving,” Sarfraz says, explaining that her friend can understand the struggles she faces in a way that others can’t. Having a friend beside them as they advocate for other refugee kids makes a world of difference. “If [Natasha] has the confidence to tell her story, then I feel that I’m confident as well, because we’re the same age, based in similar situations,” Sarfraz says. “It’s pretty helpful to know that there’s someone [with you] through the journey.”Adds Maimba, “When you have two stories that come together, it’s just a lot more powerful. That makes it really nice to have someone with you, that it’s not your story alone — it’s your stories combined.”