Sudanese 13-year-old Afrah dreams of becoming a surgeon, and she refuses to let the war that has ravaged her country stop her. Despite being uprooted by the three-year conflict between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), she continued learning on her own for months. Now, at a displacement camp in Port Sudan, she is receiving education again thanks to UNICEF and the local organization SCEFA.
Millions of Children Out of School
Afrah is one of more than 25 million minors in Sudan, half the total population. According to the UN children's agency, eight million of them are currently out of school. At the Al-Hishan camp, tents arranged in a square serve as an elementary school for over 1,000 children, nearly a third of whom need an accelerated curriculum to make up for lost time.
Although laughter now fills the camp, most children arrived traumatized by starvation and rocket fire. Their drawings initially depicted war: tanks, weapons, and death. "They come here scared, exhausted, isolated, but over time you see their drawings change," said UNICEF spokesperson Mira Nasser. "They start to adapt and process."
Education as a Form of Protection
In one tent, children repeated hand-washing instructions after a social worker; in another, they recited a poem in unison. A teacher, herself displaced and living at the camp, explained chemical and physical reactions while her three-year-old son pulled at her skirt. "These children's future is at stake, and education is itself a form of protection," Nasser said. "Here they can at least get a sense of normalcy, even in a displacement site. They can resume their education, play, and make friends."
Teachers' Dedication
Awatef Al-Ghaly, a 48-year-old Arabic teacher displaced from North Darfur, recalled the early days when thousands of families were listless. "There were 60 teachers here. We just got to work," she said. They lined students up by grade, created a schedule, and began reviewing old lessons. Soad Awadallah, 52, who taught English for four decades in South Darfur, added, "It took a lot of patience. We had the kids all sat on the ground at first." Now, desks fill the tents, though students squeeze four to a bench.
According to Nasser, due to the time lost, ranging from months to years, "some even forgot how to read and write." But the children's determination was indomitable. The makeshift school recently graduated its first class from elementary to middle school, Ghaly said proudly. "Even when things were difficult, in the heat of summer with bugs everywhere, the kids wanted to learn. Before the final exam, some would follow us teachers home begging for more review sessions."
Dreams Amidst Despair
Fatma, 16, wants to become a psychiatrist to help those hurt by the fighting. "This war has destroyed people emotionally... My father was in the main market in Khartoum when the RSF went through killing people. He ran away, and he still feels that pain," she said. "When I sit with the social worker, I feel better. I want to help people like that." One little girl, missing her right arm after being wounded in Khartoum, high-fived with her left hand.
Across Sudan, five million children are internally displaced, according to UNICEF. Millions are going hungry, including over 825,000 children under five suffering severe acute malnutrition. The use of child soldiers has been reported, and rampant sexual violence has prevented many from returning to school even in safe areas.
Many just want to go home. "I miss my friends and my family, I miss my school in Khartoum - it was full of trees," said 14-year-old Ibrahim. But he has a goal: "I want to become a petroleum engineer." During recess, pupils dashed around, laughing and playing. One boy named Rizeq, clad in a red Manchester United jersey, said with a shaky voice but puffed chest: "I want more English classes in the evening."
