The long road to safety

“We used to live happily…” – When the war reached their home…..

Until now, 13-year-old Azuz still doesn’t understand how the loud bang he once heard far from his small village in Al Fasher turned into constant bombardment that forced his family to flee their home four months ago.

“We used to live happily, and everything was fine,” says Azuz softly.

When the explosions grew louder, his family stayed, hoping the guns would soon go silent. Instead, the fighting worsened. Their school was destroyed, their home became unsafe, and even the streets where they used to play freely turned dangerous.

A mother’s courage amidst chaos

Nagla, Azuz’s mother, lived in Al Fasher for 14 years. Watching her neighborhood turn into a battlefield is a memory she can’t forget.

Like her son, she had hoped the violence would end after a few days. But as the fighting spread, life became unbearable — food ran out, livelihoods disappeared, and safety vanished.

“We built shelters for 17 people,” she recalls. “We dug tunnels and put up ladders, and when an attack happened, we went down to hide from the falling bombs.”

One day, when their home was hit by shelling, Nagla knew it was time to leave.

“Our house was destroyed. Eight mortars fell on the bathrooms alone. That day, I lost all hope in life,” she says.

The painful journey to safety

That marked the beginning of a long, uncertain journey with her six children.

“We left without the will to return,” Nagla says.

Their journey to Atbara, in northern Sudan, lasted more than a month. They arrived skinny, exhausted, and traumatized.

“I walked barefoot for four days. At one point, I carried two children on my back,” she recalls. “Some days, we survived on pounded leaves mixed with salt and water. Azuz was very weak and looked like a skeleton,” she adds, tears rolling down her face.

Although they finally reached safety, the scars remain. Nagla still carries a piece of shrapnel in her eye, while one of her sons limps from a bullet wound. All her children continue to show signs of trauma.

“One day, a glass of water fell and broke. All the children lay down on the ground, thinking the bombing had started again,” she says.

Healing, learning, and rebuilding hope with UNICEF’s support

Before the war, Nagla and her husband celebrated every milestone in their children’s education.

“My son was always the best in class. But look at what the war has done to him,” she says quietly.

Now, at the school in Atbara, Azuz and his siblings are back to learning through UNICEF’s Accelerated Learning Programme (ALP), which helps children who missed years of schooling catch up.

With a UNICEF backpack filled with books, pencils, crayons, and other school materials, Azuz once again feels hope for the future.

“My children can now read and write in Arabic and English,” Nagla says proudly.

At the school, children not only study but also play, make friends, and receive psychosocial support from professional social workers. Through group and individual sessions, Azuz is slowly healing from the trauma of war.

As Al Fasher remains unsafe, Azuz and his family continue to live in displacement — but their hope endures.

“I wish to see an end to this war, and for Al Fasher to return to what it was — so people can go back home safely and live in peace,” says Azuz.