Sudanese refugee women defy odds to rebuild their lives in Chad
Sudanese refugee women defy odds to rebuild their lives in Chad
After a traumatic escape from western Darfur, Fatima Zakaria now lives in Aboutengue refugee settlement in eastern Chad, where she started an association for refugee women.
Fatima Zakaria’s life changed forever when her hometown of El Geneina in western Darfur was attacked in June 2023. The 27-year-old university graduate was building a promising future, working as a social worker at the Ministry of Social Affairs, and hoping to advance her studies, before those dreams were abruptly shattered.
“We were scattered. My family fled in different directions, and I got separated from my mother and some of my siblings,” she recalled.
She fled with her remaining family towards Chad until they were stopped by armed men near the border. “My father, my husband, and three siblings were killed in front of my eyes, and I was shot in the right leg,” she said.
She would not have survived had it not been for other fleeing families, who helped her cross into Chad and reach the border town of Adré where she received treatment. She was later relocated to Aboutengue refugee settlement where, after 20 days, she discovered her mother and other siblings.
“I came to know that my mother and other siblings were still alive, thank God. I thought all of them had been killed, and I was left alone in this world,” she said.
For two years, the war in Sudan has unleashed relentless suffering, violence, and mass displacement, forcing nearly 13 million people from their homes, including 3.9 million who have fled to neighbouring countries. Fatima is among more than 844,000 Sudanese refugees who have sought safety in eastern Chad since April 2023. In just the past month alone, over 68,000 refugees have arrived to the country’s Wadi Fira and Ennedi Est provinces, with an average of 1,400 people crossing the border daily in recent days, according to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. The vast majority are women and girls who are carrying the weight of their trauma while trying to survive in an unfamiliar land.
Creating hope and unity
Despite enduring the harshest realities of war, Fatima was determined to not only rebuild her life but also support other women in her community. Immediately after recovering from her injury, she mobilized fellow refugee women and formed an umbrella association that brings together various women’s groups in the settlement. They run income-generating activities such as handicrafts, making traditional incense and perfumes, and basket weaving.
“The majority of these women are widows, some of them lost their husbands in front of their eyes, and some don’t know their whereabouts,” said Fatima. “I created [the association] to empower them on how to generate income in the camp.”
She turned her small house into a centre where the association holds weekly meetings to share ideas and experiences and discuss the challenges they are facing. The gathering also serves as a platform where any woman in the settlement is welcome to talk about her problems and receive emotional support.
Fatima leads a meeting of the women’s association she started in her shelter in Aboutengue refugee settlement.
“They have now overcome the barrier of fear and anxiety,” said Fatima. “What I see now, thanks to God, is that women can adapt to their new situation and raise their children … with hope for a better tomorrow, and that the situation will change, and one day they can return home.”
New beginnings
This spirit of hope and resilience among Sudanese refugee women radiates across eastern Chad. Take Radwa Abdelkarim, a 37-year-old mother of six, who ran a thriving business in her hometown of El Geneina.
“I used to sell fuel and other goods, and I used to supply local traders… “[But] the war took everything,” she said. “We lost our money, our relatives and neighbours. Some were killed, others disappeared and are still missing.”
After fleeing to safety in Chad in June 2023, she combined her entrepreneurial skills with cash assistance from UNHCR, to start baking and selling bread from her home in Farchana refugee settlement. She gradually expanded the business, eventually opening two grocery shops and a restaurant. She now employs 12 fellow refugees, proving that even in the face of great adversity, new beginnings are possible.
Soon after arriving in Farchana refugee settlement, Radwa Abdelkarim started a business making and selling bread. She now employs other Sudanese refugees and supports women with advice on how to start their own business.
Radwa started her bakery with cash assistance from UNHCR and now runs two grocery shops and a restaurant.
“I like helping people because everyone needs support,” she said. “That is why I support [fellow refugee women], so that we can grow together, and no one is left behind … it is important to stand with our brothers and sisters, to help them heal.”
Back in Aboutengue, on a recent sunny afternoon, Fatima chaired the weekly meeting of the women’s association in a small room of her home, which now serves as a headquarters for the group. Some of their products are on display, including colourful woven baskets and a variety of traditional bakhour [incense], which, when burned, release a rich fragrant smoke that keeps their dreams and memories of home alive.
Besides giving back to her community, Fatima has not given up on her dreams of advancing her education. “I want to advance my studies so I can take care of my mother, who is a widow like me, and my sisters, who are facing a similar situation … education will help us in the long run,” she said.
