Psychosocial & Financial Support brings much needed respite in the lives of the refugees
*Akor is a South Sudanese refugee from Eastern Bahr el Ghazal State. She was living with her husband and her four children, where they lived a simple life in a hut made of straw. *Akor describes her life before the armed conflict erupted in Eastern Bahr El Ghazal, “We didn’t suffer a lot to get access to food and water before the conflict. My time was focused on taking care of the children and helping my husband on the small farm which we owned.”
When the conflict in South Sudan started, the family escaped to East Darfur in Sudan. They were hosted in Kario Refugee Camp where they received shelter and food. Now, *Akor and her children have received psychosocial support and child protection services provided by World Vision. *Akor has recently shared with World Vision the major risks that refugees undergo as result of the current armed conflict in Sudan particularly women and girls.
“As women and girls it is unsafe to go out of the camp to collect firewood or to carry out any other daily activity. But the within the camp to things are not safe. I was raped more than three times. The last time, few months ago, a group of three gunmen sneaked into our house at night, one of them strangled me and attempted to rape me. My husband tied to rescue me but they shot him before fleeing the scene. My husband was severely injured and died before we were able to rush him to the Al Daein hospital,” says *Akor with tears in her eyes.
Since her husband’s demise, *Akor tries to start fresh but the suffering of her four children who are left fatherless is a wound that still runs deep. “I don’t have relatives in East Darfur who I can lean on and ask for support. I try to hide my tears from my children and be strong for them but some days are really painful as I relive that day over and over again, But talking about the ordeal I have gone through helps. When I joined World Vision’s project, I found a way not only to share my fears with people who listen to me carefully but also who support me to overcome the trauma of the horrible incident,” she says.
The group discussion, at the protection centre has enabled *Akor to know that there is a local protection network responsible for receiving refugees’ complaints as well as linking affected people like her with local legal institutions in case they want to report any case of violation.
“I have received cash support through which I started a small bakery. I am now able to secure my children's daily needs including food, clothes and medicines, she says.
*Name changed to protect identity.
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