Emergency aid Sudan

The humanitarian disaster in Sudan is considered 
one of the largest in the world. Here, women share 
their experiences in their embattled homeland, their 
escape to Chad, and their plans for the future.

Three sisters stick together
At four in the morning, sisters Teissir (23), 
Oumina (22), and Amani (20) were awakened by 
explosions and gunfire. Then a grenade flies 
through the window. The family has to flee outside 
through smoke and flames, but Oumina is missing.
"I screamed her name and turned towards the burning 
house. Then I went inside and saw her on the floor. 
There were flames everywhere," Teissir recalls. 
She saved her sister's life that night.

What the women experienced was the war in Sudan. 
After that night in November 2023, they fled to 
neighboring Chad. They now live in a hut in a camp.

"Some days we had nothing to eat"
They receive cash assistance from the alliance
organization of Aktion Deutschland Hilft, 
CARE, to support themselves. "Some days we 
had nothing to eat. You're weak for a while, 
then you get up and keep going. You go and look 
for work when there's no more food. We'll 
find a way," says Teissir.

Amani and Teissir are cooking, as Oumina cannot go 
near the cooking fire. She still constantly dreams 
about the fire that almost killed her that one night. 
It has also left visible traces. Oumina's left arm 
is covered in wounds and scars.

"We are sisters. We support each other and will 
build a better life as a family," Teissir concludes.

The desire for a life free of fear
A gate closes with a bang, a donkey starts braying, 
a pot falls to the ground. Whenever they hear a loud 
or unexpected noise, three girls run back to their 
small hut made of mud, sand, and corrugated iron, 
crying for their mother.

Nima (34) fled her hometown in Sudan to Chad with 
her daughters Maysam (10), Baisam (6), and 
Maysoun (4) in June 2023. The family has experienced 
the horrors of the ongoing war: "They entered the 
houses of our neighbors and friends and shot at 
everyone," says Nima. Her husband suffered a 
severe shoulder injury and was bleeding profusely.

The youngest child was born in the refugee camp.
After arriving in Chad, there was relief. But the 
memories haunt the family. "It's not easy to give 
them a sense of security when I don't feel safe 
myself," says Nima, holding her youngest child, 
six-month-old Cherif. He was born in the refugee 
camp.

CARE provided the family with cash so that Nima 
and her family members could meet their basic needs. 
"We used the money to buy flour, sugar, and salt. 
But now we only have 7 kilos of flour left. We 
don't know what we will do when the food runs out," 
she says.

Nima's greatest wish is a home for her children
Her husband's injury is severe, so only Nima takes 
on small jobs in the camp as often as possible. But 
it's not enough to feed everyone. "My greatest wish 
is for my children to be able to go to school, for 
them to have a place they can call home again," Nima 
concludes.

On the situation of refugees in Chad
As of November 2024, 712,000 refugees had arrived in 
Chad. The UN estimates that this number will rise to 
910,000 by the end of 2024. 88 percent of registered 
refugees are women and children.

CARE is improving the health and nutrition of 
vulnerable groups, especially children under five and
pregnant or breastfeeding women in eastern Chad. Key 
measures include capacity building for health workers, 
equipping health centers with essential supplies, and 
providing health and nutrition programs.

Emergency aid Sudan: THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!