Originally from South Sudan, Monica and her family fled to Sudan in 2013 when war broke out. They were displaced again when conflict erupted in Sudan last year. Now, she works for Save the Children at a child-friendly space back in South Sudan, where she’s helping more child refugees overcome the challenges of displacement. This is Monica’s story in her own words:
“I was in my final year of university in Khartoum when war broke out last April, shattering my dream of becoming a nurse. When the fighting started, our family ... including my five brothers, three sisters, my grandmother and my mother hurriedly fled toward the South Sudan border.
The journey was long and full of danger, ultimately taking my grandmother’s life. Since we were in transit when she passed away, my mother had to leave the group we were riding with to bury my grandmother as my younger siblings and I continued the journey to Joda.
It was my lowest moment of the journey to see my mother getting out of the car to go bury her mother. At that moment, I did not know if we would get to the border. Luckily, we made it, and my mother joined us at the Joda border point four days later.
We have been displaced by war twice, and my education has been put on hold twice. Now, my family is back in South Sudan, and I’m working with Save the Children at the Renk transit center as a child protection worker where more than 1,000 refugees are arriving daily, including many children.
It pains me to see children arriving without parents or family members at the border, but I find joy in being part of the Save the Children team working to reunite them with their families and make them laugh and play. The transit center has been my second home, and seeing these children and their parents smile brings me joy.”
With your support, we’re able to help mobilize teams like Monica’s to give desperately needed care to millions of children facing forced displacement and other challenges all over the world. As someone who sees the direct impact of your donations every day, I want you to know every dollar really does make a difference in children's lives.
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