Armed conflict in Sudan has forced 5 million children and their families from their homes, making one in five people in the country internally displaced.
Ten-year-old Naba and her mother have been staying with her grandparents in Kassala state, eastern Sudan, since they fled violence in Khartoum in June 2023. Naba now spends her days at Ishargia Girls’ School, which has been transformed into a “Makanna,” or safe learning space. Here, children can learn, play, make friends, and access various support services.
In a video tour, Naba shows how they wash their hands, attend morning assemblies, and take e-learning classes. Afternoons are filled with basketball and other activities. A psychologist is also available to help children cope with trauma. “If we have any problem, we go to her,” Naba explains. “Some children used to cry a lot, but we started talking to each other and became friends.”
“We love Makanna because it helped us forget about the war,” says Naba. “It has many activities, and it made us happy.”
The ongoing humanitarian crisis had shut down schools in Sudan for over a year. UNICEF’s safe spaces provide informal learning to help children retain their education.
Each day, about 631 children attend the Makanna that Naba goes to, supported by four facilitators and 15 volunteers. Through e-learning, they access basic literacy, mathematics, Arabic, and English lessons.
With continued support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the KfW German Development Bank, UNICEF and its partners manage 20 safe learning spaces benefiting nearly 5,000 children in Kassala.
UNICEF is expanding its efforts across Sudan by combining education with child protection services and providing essential water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. These initiatives aim to support children’s overall growth, well-being, and protection.
Since early 2024, UNICEF has set up 699 safe learning spaces in Sudan. Sixty of these spaces offer digital learning through the “Let Us Learn” initiative, reaching over 12,660 children, including refugees and displaced children, in regions such as East Darfur, South Darfur, Kassala, White Nile, Blue Nile, Red Sea, River Nile, and Northern states.
Between January and June 2024, UNICEF provided psychosocial counseling, educational support, and protection services to 2.1 million children and caregivers affected by the conflict in Sudan.