Strength and confidence from hope

As a child, Nawal fled her village in Sudan during the country’s bloody civil war. Now married with a family of her own, she is both earning and learning through a women's co-operative [Annie Bungeroth]

As a child, Nawal fled her village in Sudan during the country’s bloody civil war. Now married with a family of her own, she is both earning and learning through a women's co-operative

Nawal vividly remembers how she ran for her life after her father was shot dead while he was peacefully farming.

“My mother took me and my brother and we ran. We spent a week looking for my older brother who had run in a different direction.”

Thankfully, they found him, but then had to walk 90 miles to take refuge with an uncle. Nawal’s mother was pregnant at the time, making the journey very hard.

New confidence

Now 26, Nawal is married with four children of her own, and is trying to rebuild life in a country that is still highly unstable politically.

CAFOD partner, Church Ecumenical Action in Sudan (CEAS), works locally to support families like Nawal’s.

She explains how CEAS impacts her life, and how she has found a new sense of confidence through joining a women’s group.

“Discussing things and working together with them helps me feel strong because I am a woman and a mother and I can do many things.”

The women have started a bakery, using a revolving fund to build the oven. This helps generate income, and still leaves time to fit in the rest of the day’s tasks.

Another source of help for the family is through agricultural training. The aim is for the community to become self-sufficient, although this goal is still some way off.

Even so, Nawal has been raising crops with the group and has managed to sell surplus seeds for cash. “It really helps the family” she says.

Vital benefits

The women also learn adult numeracy and literacy, and Nawal sees many vital benefits in her new reading and writing skills.

“It helps me teach the children and assist them with their homework. It helps me to read letters, and even to read whether a medicine has expired or not. Education is important as it develops the community.”

Life is still hard, but there is mutual support, dignity and hope.

“I thank the people in England and Wales who have given their money so that we can learn and do these other activities to help us earn money,” says Nawal.

“May God bless you all and help you in whatever you are doing to assist us in this situation.

"Please continue so that we can reach a better standard of living.”

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