Football

It is rare to see a smile on 13-year-old Mohammed’s face, even after numerous jokes. But when our conversation steers towards his favourite game – football- he lights up with an unexpected, wide smile. Next to him is an orangish ball that his hands and legs gravitate to during the chat.  

The old ball, dear to the young lad, lacks sufficient air to support a complete football match. Nonetheless, when the children gather, they kick it up and down, and it continues to serve its purpose. 

Mohammed’s love for football didn’t start today. It dates to his time at home in Gezira state, where he played soccer with his friends, something he deeply misses. 

“I enjoy playing football. I like to play it so much,” he says, beaming.  

The UNICEF supported child friendly space that he attends daily has provided him with a safe space where he and his peers can engage in a game he treasures.  

During conflicts, UNICEF and its partners, create safe spaces where displaced children can play, learn, sing, interact and feel safe again. In Gedaref, Mohammed has found and embraced such a space, which continues to help him rediscover his childhood dream of becoming a famous footballer.  

“The thing I love most at the child friendly space is football.” 

When he is not playing football, Mohammed spends time chatting with his newfound friends, all displaced by the ongoing war. Occasionally, they take walks to the market and climb the nearby mountains for adventure.  

The displacement journey

That day started like any other, but quickly turned into a nightmare when heavy shooting intensified, forcing Mohammed and his father to flee.  The war had finally reached their home, making it unsafe.  They had to leave before making difficult decisions about what to take and leave behind.  

Afraid of leaving his animals, Mohammed’s father asked him to flee with the neighbour while he chased the animals. What Mohammed didn’t know was how long it would take to see his father again.  

On the road, “he attempted to turn back when he realised his father wasn’t in sight. But the shooting was heavy, so he couldn’t. He continued the journey with us,” recalled Abdalla, the neighbour and now his guardian.  
 

“My father told me that he would bring the cows. He told me to proceed and that he would follow shortly,” Mohammed  sadly recalls. 

It’s been six months now. During the early days after their separation, they communicated, but frequent telecommunication shutdowns have made it impossible to connect. Every passing day, Mohammed worries about his father, mother, and siblings he left behind. No one has seen or heard from them.  

Through social workers at the child friendly space, unaccompanied children like Mohammed are identified, registered, provided with psychosocial support, and visited frequently to assess progress of their well-being as they trace their families. 

According to UNICEF, unaccompanied children are those that are separated from both parents or primary caregiver and other relatives, while separated children are separated from both parents or primary caregiver but not necessarily from other relatives. During conflict many children become unaccompanied or separated from their parents as a result of the displacement journey or the loss of their parents. As they lack the protection of adults responsible for them, unaccompanied and separated children are often exposed to higher protection risks such as violence, abuse, gender-based violence, exploitation, and trafficking. It is estimated that of all children displaced in Sudan about four per cent are unaccompanied and separated.    

Today, Mohammed remains under the guardianship of Abdalla and his family in a makeshift structure at an internally displaced people’s shelter that also doubles as a child friendly space. Their needs are immense, surviving just on one meal a day with very few beddings to cover the children, including Mohammed, at night. 

Mohammed benefits from regular visits from Asmhan, a social worker from Depth Action Organization, UNICEF’s implementing partner. Together, they discuss several issues, but his persistent request is to return home and reunite with his father and family. Together they find solutions to tough questions posed by Mohammed, a true testament of the resilient frontline workers like Asmhan that continue to support children navigate through the new challenges brought by the war and displacement. 

“What concerns me most is my family; I miss them so much,” he shares. 

“When I see them again, I will be very happy. I will hold them very tightly and cry with them,” he adds, with teary eyes. 

During the ongoing conflict, UNICEF continues to strengthen the social service workforce to identify and document unaccompanied and separated children to support family reunification or provide alternative care placing them with foster families.

Keeping his dream alive 

As he waits for the day he will see his family again, Mohammed immerses himself in his favourite game, football. At every opportunity, he leads his peers in a game, selecting different teams, the referee, and the space. Given his knowledge about the game, his peers follow his lead. He is the master of the game. When the game is over, he carries his ball around almost everywhere.  

His love for Real Madrid, a Spanish team, will not fade, nor will his dream of becoming a professional footballer. He holds onto this dream as he waits to one day see his family walks through the door.    

Mohammed also dreams of becoming an architect to build a home for his family and rebuild his country. 

* The child's name has been changed to protect his identity.