Surviving the Unknown: A Sudanese Family’s Fight for a Future
Surviving the Unknown: A Sudanese Family’s Fight for a Future
Tayseer, a 25‑year‑old Sudanese mother, fled conflict to protect her four‑year‑old daughter, only to face another life‑threatening ordeal in Egypt after a serious accident. With UNHCR’s support and access to public health care, she survived and is now recovering, holding on to hope for a safer future for her family.
Tayseer, a 25 year-old Sudanese woman, arrived in Egypt in August 2023—four months after conflict erupted in Sudan. She is a mother to a spirited four year-old girl named Madeleine and a devoted wife to a hardworking husband.
“If it were up to me and my husband, we would have never left Khartoum. We would have preferred to die at home rather than face the unknown, if it weren’t for our little Madeleine,” Tayseer says.
The family endured a dangerous and exhausting journey from Khartoum to the Egyptian border. For three days, they crossed the desert with little water or food. Along the way, armed individuals attacked their bus, turning an already terrifying journey into a lifethreatening ordeal.
When they finally reached Cairo, they settled in one of the poorest neighborhoods, an overcrowded district with limited infrastructure but a large refugee population.
“We left Khartoum with nothing but the clothes we were wearing and the little money we had. By the time we reached Cairo, we couldn’t afford anything better. But the neighborhood is full of Sudanese and other refugees, so it feels a bit like home,” she explains.
Both Tayseer and her husband found work as domestic workers to support their daughter. Life was challenging, but they managed, until tragedy struck.
“Life was stable until one day, as I was returning home from work, a car hit me. I was taken to the nearest hospital and diagnosed with a pelvic fracture, a vertebral fracture, and a brain hemorrhage,” Tayseer recalls.
Fortunately, Tayseer was registered with UNHCR. As soon as her husband was informed of the accident, he contacted UNHCR. A representative was immediately sent to support the family, facilitate the hospitalization process, and act as a link between the family and healthcare providers.
“If it wasn’t for UNHCR, I would have died. I’m grateful for the care I received. My husband and I felt we weren’t alone, UNHCR felt like our extended family,” she says.
After a month in the hospital, Tayseer was discharged and is now recovering at home. She still requires physiotherapy sessions to walk properly, but since physiotherapy is not covered by UNHCR, her recovery has been slow. With no additional assistance and Tayseer unable to work, the family’s financial situation has deteriorated significantly.
“We left Sudan trying to secure a better future for our Madeleine, but life here is very difficult, even for Egyptians themselves, let alone refugees. Now that Tayseer can’t work, putting food on the table has become a daily struggle,” her husband says.
Despite experiencing occasional racist incidents, the family feels safe in Egypt and is grateful for the generosity of the Egyptian people. Still, they long to return to Sudan one day and raise Madeleine among their relatives.
Egypt currently hosts 1,099,595 registered refugees and asylumseekers, most of whom are Sudanese. Refugees in Egypt benefit from a longstanding collaboration between the Ministry of Health and Population and UNHCR, which, through Memoranda of Understanding signed in 2016, grants refugees and asylumseekers access to public primary, secondary, and emergency health services on an equal basis with Egyptian citizens.
In Egypt, UNHCR’s public health programme focuses on strengthening primary health care, supporting secondary and emergency care, and providing lifesaving medical assistance. In areas hosting large refugee populations, UNHCR works with national partners to improve the quality of services for both refugees and host communities, including support for chronic disease care, psychosocial and mental health services, and referrals for critical conditions. These efforts often include capacitybuilding and the provision of essential equipment to help reinforce Egypt’s national healthcare system.
