Back to school, dreaming again

At Almogran primary school for girls in River Nile State, pupils stream through the gates each morning. Enrolment has surged since the school opened its gates to hundreds of displaced children, offering them a chance to learn.

The school also hosts a UNICEF-supported Alternative Learning Programme (ALP) centre, where pupils who have been out of school for long periods can catch up and prepare to reintegrate into the formal system alongside their peers. Currently, 100 girls are enrolled:  46 aged 7-9 in level one, and 54 aged 10-14 in level two.

Delivered by five trained facilitators using a specialized accelerated curriculum, the programme runs 15 sessions weekly - 3 sessions daily for Arabic, Mathematics, and English subjects, alongside sports and outdoor activities.

Back to basics after years of disruption 

In the level two class, an English session begins. The facilitator introduces the alphabet; the girls recite the letters before moving on to words and simple sentences. Although these exercises seem basic for their age, many are relearning skills lost during more than two years out of school. 

Sitting in the front row is 13-year-old Sharjan.  This is her first year back in school since her family fled Khartoum in 2023. She has forgotten much of what she once knew but hopes the catch-up classes will enable her to enter fifth grade next year. 

Sharjan carries painful memories - she lost her father during the conflict, and the trauma of shelling has left her fearful. Yet at Almogran she has found hope again- returning to school and receiving psychosocial support to heal.

“Being here reminded me of my old school and friends in Khartoum,” she says. 

Across Sudan, millions of children lost access to education during the conflict. Schools were closed, many used as shelter for displaced families. Yet schools do more than teach- they also provide safety from abuse and physical dangers, and offer children a place to learn, play, interact with friends and begin coping with trauma. Now, wherever possible, schools are reopening, giving children a chance to return to classrooms and revive their dreams.

Picking up, one lesson at a time

During a mathematics lesson, Sharjan volunteers to lead an exercise in addition using the abacus. With support from her facilitator, she and her classmates count, add, and use everyday objects- pencils, pens, rubbers- to reinforce the concept.

Determined to succeed, Sharjan takes extra work from her facilitators and edges closer to her goal each day, one lesson at a time. Her dream is to become an engineer, helping rebuild her family’s home destroyed in the war.

“This was my father’s only wish, and I want to make it come true,” she shares.

But she knows the path begins with staying in school, completing her education and following the only route she sees to realizing her potential.

A holistic approach to children’s needs 

Across the River Nile state, through the THABAT programme, UNICEF is reaching over 9,500 children under the ALP centres in 65 schools with support from the Sudan Transition and Recovery Support (STARS) Trust Fund.  

The supported schools also provide children with educational supplies - books, pencils, pens, backpacks- and opportunities beyond learning like counselling, school gardening, clubs and life skills sessions that help them rebuild relationships. resume social activities disrupted by conflict and process past experiences.

At Almogran, the ALP centre is part of a wider school environment where UNICEF’s Makanna approach creates safe and inclusive spaces for conflict-affected children to learn, grow, and thrive. Education, child protection, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services are integrated under one roof. Children have access to safe drinking water, gender-segregated sanitation facilities, child protection services and improved learning environments. 

As Sharjan continues to learn and heal, she dreams that every child in Sudan who has been forced out of school will one day return to the classroom- just as she is now.