Sarra and her family face hunger in Chad
Sarra had to flee her hometown after it was attacked by armed men. Now living in a refugee camp in Chad, her family continue to face extreme challenges, such as getting enough food and water.
Twenty-year-old Sarra crossed the border into Chad after nearly a year of displacement in Sudan. Sarra fled her home town of Geneina in West Darfur after an attack by armed men.
Sarra’s journey
“I left Geneina with my grandmother, my mother, my sisters and their children,” says Sarra, who spent 11 months in displacement camps in Sudan before deciding to cross the border into Chad. “We walked for 25 days with many stops. We were attacked several times and robbed of the few belongings we had taken with us.”
Sarra’s journey was dangerous and she and her family often came under fire. During one of these attacks, Sarra’s pregnant sister was killed. “It hurts me so much to think about it. Why would they kill a pregnant woman, why? I saw my sister lying in her own blood. If only I could have helped. If only I could die to save my sister and the child she was carrying. I would have chosen to exchange my life for hers. But no.”
“It is so difficult to find food here. The children barely get one meal a day.”
Sarra
Finally crossing the border at Adre, the family were registered on arrival and then transported to the refugee camp, 50km from the Sudan-Chad border. The camp is home to nearly 8,000 people, 88% of whom are women and children, according to the National Commission for Refugees and Returnees.
Life at the refugee camp
“I now live in the camp with my sister’s 5 other children. My oldest sister, the first born, looks after them. It is so difficult to find food here. The children barely get one meal a day. How I wish I could work to earn some money to support them. I used to be a nurse in my country, but now I am unemployed, so there is nothing I can do,” explains Sarra.
“We are struggling to feed the children with the money that is distributed to refugees from time to time. We get 7000 Fcfa (about 15 dollars) for each member of the household. We pool the money and buy food. When that’s gone, we wait for the next cash distribution,” says Sarra.
“When there is no food and the children are starving, we give them water – one cup of water per person per day, because when the water is gone, it’s another challenge to queue for hours to get another bucket of water.”
Despite the enormous challenges Sarra faces in the camp, Sarra says, “Life is not easy here, but I would rather suffer here than go back to Sudan, even if the war ends.”
“We walked for 25 days. We were attacked several times and robbed of the few belongings we had taken with us.”
Sarra
Humanitarian response
A year on from the start of the conflict, thousands of refugees continue to cross into Chad every day as the situation in Sudan deteriorates.
Life in the camp is very hard. Everything is needed: clean water, sanitation, food and nutritional support, and medical care. Most families have lost everything and have no means of earning an income. More than 600,000 Sudanese refugees have been registered in eastern Chad since April 2023.
More than 12 humanitarian organisations, including UN agencies, are responding to the needs in the camp with protection, education, food and nutrition, psychosocial support and water, sanitation and hygiene activities, but needs remain high and the population continues to grow.
Categories: Emergencies
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