World Vision’s cash distribution brings hope to immigrants from Sudan
32-year-old Halima remembers how her family including her five and one-year-old daughters reacted to the gunshots when the fighting in Sudan broke out on 15 April 2023. “Everything happened quickly and we were very shocked”, says Halima. A few days later, as the fighting intensified, they decided to flee to Ethiopia. It was hard for the family to leave Sudan because they had to leave everything they held dear to them, their belongings, memories, family, friends, neighbours etc. Halima’s husband had to make the ultimate decision to keep her and their two daughters safe. The money they had was not enough to cover the transportation cost for the entire family, as a result, he sent his wife and children to safety and he was left behind.
“It was the most difficult decision that we had to make. I still don’t know if my husband is alive or not and it aches me to recall it”, Halima adds. Leaving everything behind, especially your loved ones can be an incredibly emotional experience. Some have been lucky not to be separated from their families, some don’t know where their loved ones are and others have lost their dear ones.
We meet 25-year-old Tesfanesh who is among the thousands of people affected by the conflict in Sudan. Born from a poor family in Ethiopia, she went to Sudan in search of a better life. She left her hometown at a young age with the hopes and dreams of helping her family. She used to work as a cleaner and earned a relatively sufficient income. She finally settled in Sudan and was doing well for herself until the fighting broke out. Tesfanesh recalls how it all started “I was cleaning the house when I first heard gunshots. It was coming from far away and I did not think it would get to us. Three days later, however, the shootings started right outside the house. I remember running for shelter but I wasn’t fast enough, and I was caught up in the fighting and one of the bullets hit me on my thigh. I remember trying to run away from the scene but couldn’t.”
Tesfanesh’s employers helped her escape and took her to a relatively safer place. The family doctor dressed the wound for a few days but as the fighting escalated, he fled the area. This was when Tesfanesh decided to return back home. She took the little money she had, paid for her transportation, and crossed the border to Ethiopia. Things were not as easy as she expected. She did not have any cash at hand and there was no one to ask for help. Her family live more than 1,000 kilometres away from the border. She barely had anything to eat and did not have any place to stay.
After a few days at the entry point in Metema, where they underwent screening, which focused mainly on pregnant and lactating women, people with disabilities, gender-based violence survivors, the elderly, and people with chronic diseases. Tesfanesh and Halima were among the 115 Ethiopians who fit the selection criteria for the multi-purpose cash assistance. The cash support was intended to help them cover their basic needs such as food, shelter, transportation, health care, and the like. All of which will give them the power to choose how to utilize the cash to supplement their current needs. “I am so grateful to receive the 7,000 ETB (134 US$). I had nothing at hand and having this money will help me pay for my transportation cost to travel to my home town which is about 205 kilometres from here. I pray my husband also will make it home alive”, Halima said. This intervention was made possible by funding from World Vision US.
Tesfanesh on her part feels bad for coming back home empty-handed. However, she is grateful that she made it out alive. “I will use some of the cash for my daily consumption and medications until I go back home to my family. I am very thankful for World Vision for being there for me when I did not have anyone to turn to”, she says.
Following the conflict in Sudan, World Vision declared a Category III multi-region Emergency response and World Vision Ethiopia is responding to its very first emergency response to Ethiopians returning home through the Metema border. Speaking from Ethiopia Karmen Till, National Director for World Vision Ethiopia said “It is concerning to see innocent children affected by war and not able to live life to the fullest. Every child deserves a chance for better a future, and World Vision will stand by them to support any way we can."
According to IOM over 60,046 people have entered Ethiopia as of 04 July 2023.
By Bethel Shiferaw, Communication Coordinator (HEA), World Vision Ethiopia