The name of the book is Suitcase stories by Glynis Claherty and Suitcase children.

The book was produced as part of the Suitcase project, a psychological support through art therapy project initiated by Glynis Clacherty in 2001 in Johannesburg, South Africa. During 2003 Annurita Bains co-facilitated the group Glynis. In that year Diane Welvering joined the project as an art teacher, together with Glynis developed the work that is presented in this book. Jessie Kgomongoe worked with them for two years. The group meets at Barnato Park High school in Hillbrow which has made its facilities to the group since 2003. The project was funded by the United Nations High Commission for refugees, during 2003 and 2004,through the Jesuit Refuge service. From 2006 the project was run under the auspices of the refugee ministries centre, a refugee programme run by the Anglican, Methodist and Lutheran churches in inner city Johannesburg. Children are referred into the group on annual basis by the Refugee Ministries advice centre. Funding is provided through the UNHCR for an interim period, but more substantial funding is not available. The author Glynis Clacherty is a researcher who specialises in participatory work with children. She has spent the last ten years working with children all over southern Africa on issues such as HIV& Aids, child work, violence against children, poverty and migration. Much of this work has allowed children’s voices to be heard in the creation of new policy and laws. She started the Suitcase project, a psychological support through art project in 2001 with refugee children in Hillbrow. This is where she met children whose stories are told in this book. The children told her their stories some over the period of three years. This activity was completely voluntary and children could choose how much of their story to tell, if they wanted it taped and even if they wanted to tell it all. She transcribed those stories that had been taped and edited them for sequence and readability alone. She have tried to represent what the children said exactly as they said it, keeping the form of the spoken word . The children all looked closely at their stories once they had written and they agreed on which parts could be published and what they did not included in the book, also what needed to be changed to keep their confidentiality. None of the children wanted to be labelled as refugee in their present lives, so they chose to remain anonymous. The names they chose to replace their own all have significance for them. They are the names of the lost parents or special friends from their home countries. As the Author have worked with these stories she has been struck with sadness, the loss, the displacement that the children have experienced but also overwhelmingly by their resilience, their ability to make a plan and often to see the funny side of what is happening to them. These stories have taught the Author that children are not merely victims of their circumstance but survivors. What i have learned in this book is that children from Africa are suffering and some have suffered due to various reasons such as civil wars which tear many families apart and hunger which drove many families from one place to another in search of greener pastures. Despite their hardships, they have suffered back in their homes, the children reclaim their identity in South Africa. It is interesting to see young people under the age of twenty having a desire to think about their originality. In many cases people who have left their countries tend to change their identity when they arrive in foreign lands, some feel uncomfortable to use their cultural names and adopt the names which are common in the place which they would be living. These children have something in common that there is nothing better than knowing who you are and where they are coming from, most of them still uphold the names which were given to them by their parents in their respective countries. They are full of love and joy as they are treating each other with respect in their support group. The other thing which make them outstanding they don’t want be beggars for the rest of their lives, they want to make something out of their lives while they are still alive. Although poor children are in South Africa , which is regarded as the land of milk and honey to many Africans who had never graced our shores, they face many challenges across the streets. They are called by derogatory words like “kwerekwere” but they have accepted the reality that it is tough to be away from home and they are not demoralised. In the support group all of them want to return home to start their lives afresh and re-unite with their families. Even if they become educated they are willing to plough back, because they have realised that the change in their country needs to be started not by anybody but them. It is good especially for children who are young having a desire to return home. They show everyone in the country that they are here by choice but social problems are the main point for them to be where they are today. They are also wishing to see their countries having a peace like South Africa, where anyone has a right of movement, association and freedom of speech. The character of these future generation is outstanding, they make anyone inspired despite the challenges they have came across in their childhood. They have a never dying spirit that while there is life there is hope. They don’t want to be looked down upon by indigenious people, they want the locals to take them serious not laugh them for their own situation. They need South Africans to know more about their situation before they can judge them. If one calculate the experiences of these children realises that their situation is not something laughable but shocking because some lost their families as they were killed. The future reader can expect shocking and interesting realities, shocking realities because some of the children family members are no more, while again children are reclaiming their origin in foreign land. The book message is straight forward, things which are written in the book are true. They were transcribed so that people can learn about horrible things which are happening or happened in those countries which these children are coming from. The future readers will realise that there were once people who suffered under other people’s leadership and migrated to re arrange their lives. Once you have started to read this book one cannot put it down but will continue till he or she finishes reading it as it is touching and drawing ones attention not forgetting that it provokes the feelings. What i could have changed to make this book interesting. It is difficult because things which were written in this book are coming straight from the children who experienced the hardships. To be honest the book does not need to be re-arranged because it is well written, children tell their stories well. The theme of the book relate with me very well, because if you look at these children situation they have left their countries as a results of civil wars and economical disorientation. The book might be talking about the children who left their homes due to certain problems, this means there are budding scholars who were displaced due to unrests. This is something which touches’ me as a student, looking deeply in the theme of the book one would realise that this is something which can happen to anyone because future is unpredictable.