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.
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