Among them, 17-year-old Doha and her brothers and sisters arrived in Tawila after a long three-day journey from El Fasher on foot and by donkey cart, exhausted and scared. Their home in the key city of Darfur had become too dangerous. The food was scarce. Health facilities were destroyed. The school, once the center of Doha’s era, no longer existed.
“This girl caught our attention because she was smiling,” said Eva Hinds, spokesperson for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Sudan. UN News. “And she desperately wanted to speak English. I’m always so surprised to see someone radiant in the midst of such a difficult environment.”
‘Don’t give up’
Its name, Doha, means “morning” in Arabic and is often used colloquially to refer to the period between sunrise and dawn.
“The light in this little girl’s eyes showed that she lives up to her name,” Ms. Hinds said.
Before the war broke out, Doha was studying English and wanted to know if there were opportunities to continue learning English in Tawila. He told Ms. Hinds that he would like to teach others at some point.
“I’m always amazed at how resilient people are and don’t give up when the world is against them,” Ms Hinds said.
Millions flee violence
According to a recent report by the UN Human Rights Office based on testimonies from victims and witnesses, more than 6,000 people were killed in three days when Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) captured the town of El Fasher last year. The key city of Darfur was under 18 months of sustained siege. This is where some of the most harrowing stories of this brutal conflict emerged.
“There are millions of children who have had to flee their homes multiple times, not just once or twice, but more,” Ms Hinds stressed.
These children end up in IDP camps, which are very difficult places to grow up, with small spaces and very limited access to clean water, food and opportunities to continue learning.
“Their sense of security has been affected because they have been forced to flee and they have seen things that many children have never seen and should never see,” he said.
Their routines, friendships and sense of security have been completely disrupted as they struggle with the most basic things, such as getting food and enough water to drink and wash.
Rising needs, declining financing
On the ground, UNICEF and its partners provide different types of support, from medical care to nutrition, as well as safe spaces where severely traumatized children can begin receiving psychosocial services so that they can begin to live through their traumatic experiences amid a sense of normality for the first time. It is a space where they can play, be with friends and start learning.
But Sudan is a huge country, with around 34 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, and the needs continue to grow. This is a challenge for humanitarian workers operating on the ground. The dramatic situation of children is worsening in conflict zones, where the risks of violence, including sexual violence, are increasing.
UNICEF works to identify and support children, find adults in their families to reunite them, and offer them shelter if necessary.
“With regard to sexual violence, it is essential to provide safe spaces, especially for women and girls,” according to UNICEF.
“Needs are skyrocketing and funding is declining,” the agency spokesperson said. “It’s a very difficult equation to make and, unfortunately, it is often the most vulnerable who pay the highest price: children.”
Hope is still the last refuge
Sudan is also one of the countries that practices female genital mutilation (FGM). UNICEF and the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, have a joint program for the elimination of this practice, which the agencies continue to implement despite the challenges of a country at war.
“We encourage girls’ clubs as part of the programming,” Ms. Hinds explained. “These clubs are safe spaces where girls and adolescents come together, where they learn. It is a place where they can support each other and develop a sense of identity and belonging, and this has a lot to do with positive social norms. These clubs also play a vital role in encouraging girls to stay in school, complete their studies and challenge harmful practices, including female genital mutilation.”
In displaced people’s camps, education and basic services provide children with a fragile sense of security and stability. “Education is a lifeline,” insists UNICEF.
Despite the ongoing violence in Darfur and Kordofan, hope remains the last refuge for thousands of children like Doha in Tawila, who dream of a peaceful Sudan and the chance to reclaim a stolen childhood.