Zakia

When A Dream Keeps You Alive

From Refugee to College Grad

Sometimes it’s not a hero who saves your life. Not a skilled doctor, or a much-needed medicine, but a dream that keeps you going. A dream you hang on to that prevents you from giving up, despite the odds.

For young Zakia John Idriss, it was her dream of education that kept her alive during her time in the refugee camps.

From her early years growing up in the Nuba Mountains, Zakia loved school. She excelled in elementary, and her sights were set on being part of the minority population of girls who make it to secondary school in this part of the world. Recognizing her academic talent, Zakia’s father and family also supported her dream.

But that dream was shattered when war came. All the schools were closed. Zakia’s extended family scattered in different directions as they fled. She found herself in the Yida refugee camp in northern South Sudan. Life became completely unfamiliar in this strange and despondent place.

Zakia marshaled her courage and did what she was good at – she learned new skills. With training she received from the NGO at her refugee camp, she became a nursing assistant at Yida. With plenty of work at the sprawling camp, Zakia worked long hours. It kept her mind busy and away from the edge of despair. She even earned some money working for the NGO, which she saved diligently.

Then one day Zakia learned of a refugee camp in Kenya where some people lived while also attending secondary school. She saved enough money to move to Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, where she dared to hope once again that her dream of finishing high school might still be possible.

Someone else recognized Zakia’s academic ability at Kakuma, and Zakia received a scholarship to enroll in a boarding school – the Morneau Shappell Girls’ Secondary School in Kakuma Arid Zone, Kenya. She found the new environment both challenging and rewarding. Compared to other students, Zakia said she felt like an orphan, with barely any support to meet even her basic needs. But she was working toward her dream of completing high school, and that kept her going.

In 2017, Zakia completed her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE). Though no family members were there to cheer her accomplishment when her certificate was awarded, Zakia knew they would be proud of her. Despite incredible setbacks, she had finished high school. It was an overwhelming moment for her.

In 2021, Zakia was blessed with the opportunity to attend the Solidarity Teachers Training College (STTC) in Yambio, a Sudan Relief Fund sponsored college offering two-year teacher training certificates that qualify graduates to teach primary school. The college is sponsored as a means to promote education in South Sudan and supply the much-needed demand for qualified teachers across the country.

Zakia recalls gaining a wealth of knowledge and experience studying at STTC, and that living in the dormitories with students from other tribes across South Sudan was culturally enriching. At one point she was teaching in classrooms with over 120 students at a time, which she considered “one of her most memorable experiences.”

After two years she proudly received her Certificate in Primary Education from the University of Juba through the STTC. “Becoming a qualified primary teacher filled me with immense pride,” she shared.

Each year the STTC selects a handful of students to receive scholarships for further college education, and Zakia was accepted for a Bachelor’s Degree program at the UK Open University. “This was the greatest gift of my life,” she recalls. She will earn a Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Science alongside her primary school teaching certificate. After completing her degree program in December of 2024, Zakia hopes to return to Nuba to visit her family, whom she hasn’t seen in years. 

“I am deeply grateful to Solidarity Teacher Training College for providing me with education. I owe a great debt of gratitude to the STTC administration, teachers, and religious sisters and brothers from different international congregations who have inspired and supported me over the last four years, giving me a new lease on life,” said Zakia.

Going far beyond she ever thought she would in her dream to finish high school, the college graduate now has a new goal in life. She hopes to open up a school in Nuba for poor children, who wouldn’t otherwise have the chance to get an education.

These stories of Lives Saved are made possible by donors and supporters of Sudan Relief Fund, whose contributions make it possible to support schools like the Solidarity Teacher Training College and scholarships for girls to attend school. Thank you for transforming lives and giving a new future to girls like Zakia.

Would you like to pray for us? Sign up for our email prayer group to receive weekly emails sharing important needs to pray for. You’ll join a faith community around the globe praying to bring hope and help to suffering people in a forgotten part of the world. Click here to find out more.

Anitha Nagara

Small Business Program Changes a Mother’s Life

Poverty is a sinkhole that drags families into hunger, sickness, and despair – sometimes for generations. Yet often a simple act of opportunity can change everything, providing wider benefits that reverberate across families and entire communities.

Sudan Relief Fund partners with STAR Support Group (SSG) in Yambio, South Sudan, to provide opportunities like these that can change lives. One such vehicle is the microfinance program, which gives mini loans and training to help poverty stricken families – particularly single mothers – start small businesses to support themselves and their children.

In Yambio, Anitha Nagara constantly struggled to provide for her children, and held out little hope this would improve. Feeding her children was the highest priority, so there was no money left for clothing, school, or medicine if they became sick. 

A woman’s opportunity has historically been extremely limited here. Despite small steps being achieved to help women, progress is slow and the problem remains widespread. Anitha and her children faced a bleak future, simply striving to survive each day at a time.

When Anitha was identified as a candidate for the microfinance program, her entire life began to turn around. She had longed for an income generating opportunity, but without the resources to get started, she never believed it was achievable. When she received a microfinance loan for a small agricultural booth at the local market, it marked the first step on her life changing journey to financial sustainability and independence.

The microfinance initiative doesn’t stop at lending seed money, but provides training in basic finance and business practices as well, to help first-time small business owners achieve a successful startup. Anitha invested wisely, establishing a small-scale business in Yambio’s open market selling agricultural products and everyday goods to the community.

Her business quickly gained traction. Saving diligently, Anitha took out a second loan this year to expand her offerings. With much determination and effort, she has transformed her business from one small stall to a thriving business. With the income generated, she can feed her children consistently. She no longer worries they will go hungry from not being able to purchase food.

As she continues to grow her small business, Anitha now carries hope in her heart. She feels motivated every day to get up and manage her business, and she continues to set her sights on exploring new opportunities.

What’s more, Anitha can now afford to pay school fees and give her children the education she always hoped they could receive. Education is critical for children, especially in South Sudan, to lift them from poverty and equip them for successful futures.

“Microfinance has changed my life in so many ways,” she expressed. “I used to worry where our next meal would come from. But now I can provide for my family and give my children a chance at a better future.”

Because of your support, not only has Anitha’s life been turned around. Each of her children are impacted as well. Growing up educated, they will have better employment opportunities, and a greater ability to care for their own families.

Sometimes saving a life is as simple as providing a produce stall in a local market – a small assist with lasting and far-reaching effects.

These stories of Lives Saved are made possible by donors and supporters of Sudan Relief Fund. Thank you for reaching out to give hope and a future to families like Anitha Nagara’s.

Would you like to pray for us? Sign up for our email prayer group to receive weekly emails sharing important needs to pray for. You’ll join a faith community around the globe praying to bring hope and help to suffering people in a forgotten part of the world. Click here to find out more.

Tiyana

Young Girl Saved from Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the leading infectious causes of death worldwide to this day. TB attacks the lungs and moves insidiously into other parts of the body, such as bones, kidneys, brain, and spinal cord. It can spread its deadly trail through the lymphatic system. And if left untreated in a timely manner, lead to permanent damage or death.

Tiyana was just sixteen years old when she began to feel pain in her abdomen, and experience stomach sickness that would not go away. She went to her local clinic where she was prescribed medicine for the nausea. But it didn’t help.

The abdominal pain only grew worse. What’s more, Tiyana could barely eat at all, and she was rapidly becoming thin and frail. Tiyana suffered this way for two months, vomiting constantly and bearing pain that didn’t let up.

Tiyana returned to the clinic in desperation. Seeing her declining condition, the clinicians referred her to Mother of Mercy Hospital – a mission hospital in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan, directed by Dr. Tom Catena for the past sixteen years. It is a Sudan Relief Fund supported hospital, and the only facility for hundreds of miles in all directions capable of delivering comprehensive treatment not found anywhere else in the region.

As soon as she arrived, Dr. Tom performed an ultrasound and diagnosed Tiyana with abdominal tuberculosis. At this point, she could no longer walk by herself, and had to be supported by two nurses. She was immediately started on strong rounds of medications to try to halt the onslaught of the illness.

Her TB had progressed so severely before Tiyana made it to the hospital that it would be a long road to recovery for her. Nevertheless, the team at Mother of Mercy didn’t let up and Tiyana never stopped fighting. It took a month and a half of treatment for her to turn the corner. But at last she did.

Now that she was strong enough, Tiyana also underwent abdominal surgery to repair damage to her intestines. She could begin to eat again, and Dr. Tom put her on a nutritional regimen to help Tiyana recover from her emaciated state.

Three and a half months after arriving, Tiyana is finally out of the woods and feeling strengthened again. She was moved to a rehabilitative area of the hospital to complete her full TB treatment regimen, after which time she will return home as a healthy teenage girl once again.

“I am very thankful to God for this hospital because…I would have certainly lost my life just like many others,” Tiyana expressed. “My gratitude also goes to Dr. Tom and his team for their commitment to serving humanity and saving lives like mine.”

Tiyana was able to get quality care from an excellent surgeon at Mother of Mercy Hospital, ensuring she won’t become another victim to the deadly assault of tuberculosis. Your partnership and support of the hospital has given Tiyana and those like her new hope for their future.

These stories of Lives Saved are made possible by donors and supporters of Sudan Relief Fund. Each year, our donors fund nearly all the medicine used to treat patients like Tiyana at Mother of Mercy Hospital, saving countless lives.

Would you like to pray for us? Sign up for our email prayer group to receive weekly emails sharing important needs to pray for. You’ll join a faith community around the globe praying to bring hope and help to suffering people in a forgotten part of the world. Click here to find out more.

Christine

The Sewing Machine that Built a House and Saved a Family

Making a difference is sometimes as simple as the gift of a tool – a common utility that can open up new worlds of opportunity. For Christine Stanley who struggled to feed her family and make ends meet, that gift was a sewing machine. And it changed her entire life.

Sudan Relief Fund partners with STAR Support Group in Yambio, South Sudan, to empower desperately impoverished people with the skills and means to sustain themselves. It’s the timeless concept of “give me a fish and I eat for a day; teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime.”

Participants in the program receive skills training so they can build small businesses to support themselves and their families. They also receive basic finance instruction and tools needed to get started. The ripple effects of these opportunities benefit children, families, and sometimes even extended families and members of the community.

When Christine was identified as a candidate in severe need and joined the tailoring program, it wasn’t long before she became a star student. A single mother, she was dedicated and hard working, known for her quick learning and diligence toward her craft. When she graduated from the training in 2023, she received a special gift – her own sewing machine, along with materials to launch her start-up tailoring business.

Christine proved to be a capable entrepreneur. She saved meticulously and was blessed with a windfall of work during the busy Christmas season. Eventually she was able to save enough money to fulfill a landmark goal she’d dreamed of – a walled-in living accommodation for her and her children.

“Raising a wall was a challenge,” she said, “but with the help of my sewing machine, I’ve been able to provide a safe and secure space for my family.”

Christine is also able to pay for medicine that she needs. Knowing her business made it possible, she says, “I’m so grateful for the program. I can now afford my medication without depending on others.”

This budding entrepreneur did not stop there. She diversified her income-generating activities by investing part of her earnings into a garden. She even hired workers to expand its cultivation and production output. Now she feels secure that her family won’t grow hungry, and she’ll have extra to share or sell at the market.

Opportunity is rare for mothers like Christine in her region of Africa. That’s why this work is so vital here, bringing hope to the vulnerable and making the dependent become self sufficient.

Christine’s story is one of determination, empowerment, and the transformative power of support when simply given an opportunity. With no current challenges facing her or her family, she only wishes for Sudan Relief Fund to continue their life changing work, helping others in need become self-reliant, too.

These stories of lives saved are made possible by the generous and compassionate support of Sudan Relief Fund’s donor community. Thank you for changing lives like Christine’s and her children, who now face the future with hope and a solid foundation.

Would you like to pray for us? Sign up for our email prayer group to receive weekly emails sharing important needs to pray for. You’ll join a faith community around the globe praying to bring hope and help to suffering people in a forgotten part of the world. Click here to find out more.