Ahmed wishes school year will resume soon
The ongoing conflict in Sudan affects children's daily lives seriously. It has been observed that the continued waves of violence resulted from the armed conflict, impact girls and boys mental and psychosocial health negatively. The devastating impact of current conflict is not restricted to the fact that thousands of Sudanese children have already been internally displaced and forcibly fled their homes, it also left kids with uncertain future, as schools have been closed for about 15 months.
*Ali is a 10-year-old refugee boy from a refugee camp in East Darfur. He lives with his mother and three of his siblings. Since the eruption of the armed conflict in Al Daein, Ali and his family have been struggling to deal with the serious threat on their lives.
"When the conflict started, I felt very depressed and scared. All my family members are rarely able to sleep. I always feel very frightened at night because I expect an air attack.,” says Ali.
Like many other children, it has been over 15 months, Ahmed has not been able to go to school because of this devastating conflict. When Ahmed feels that he is not in a good mood, he calls his mother and plays with other children.
"The conflict gives me nightmares. I try to distract myself as I am always afraid of losing my family members in Khartoum due to the constant conflicts ".
Within the camp World Vision has set-up a multi-purpose center where children like Ali can finally find a space where he can play, meet peers of the same age as well as be counselled by trained volunteers whom he can talk about his fears as well as his dreams.
World Vision is providing Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services for children affected by the ongoing conflicts in Elnimir Refugees Camp. The Multi-Purpose Community Center (MPCC), offer children, safe spaces to meet, enjoy, play and heal from the stress they have experienced.
“I always come to World Vision Child Support Center two days per week to play with my other friends. We play rope jumping, football, volleyball and I also sometimes read stories with friends," says Ali.
Ali’s most precious dream is to resume the school year again so that he can continue his education and meet his classmates again. “I’m looking forward to resuming my education so that one day I can be a teacher. teachers always support young children like me,” says Ali.
World Vision protection projects funded by UNHCR provide protection services in East Darfur that include mental health and psychosocial support through multipurpose community centers and child friendly spaces for children and GBV survivors affected by the ongoing Sudan conflict especially. The project aims to reach 1480 people through protection interventions in East Darfur. This includes children, women, and people with disabilities. 879 people have already been impacted by the project. The project aims to promote the wellbeing of vulnerable groups, like IDPs and refugees so that they can live better lives and reduce their vulnerabilities.
*Name changed to protect identity.
This case study is part of a larger report. Please click here to check it.