Ayul Ajak, a visually impaired mother of six plays with her child at her home in her makeshift home in Renk, South Sudan after she fled her home in Sudan. (Photo: Herison Philip Osfaldo/Oxfam)
Written by Fatuma Noor
The prolonged war in Sudan is causing severe physical, emotional, and health stress, to millions escaping the country in search of peace and security.
The story of 33 –year-old Ayul Ajak, a mother of six with visual impairment, highlights the challenges the ongoing conflict in Sudan has on vulnerable communities. Ayul once lived a normal life, working at a biscuit factory in Omdurman, the second most populous suburb of Khartoum, Sudan.
On October 2, everything changed. A conflict that had been escalating for months across the country reached her home where she tried to keep her family safe.
"We were hiding but when the war reached us, I had to take my children and escape. My husband was left behind as we did not have enough for transport fare, and I came with my children and sister who had been helping me on the journey."
From afar, Ajak might seem like any other mother, gently playing with her two-year-old son. But upon a closer look, it becomes clear that she is blind, the result of a severe health crisis at the end of 2022 that changed her life.
“It started with a severe headache and slowly I struggled with seeing,” explains Ajak.
Initially, doctors in Sudan were hopeful, and Ajak’s vision began to improve, with the possibility of full recovery. But then came the war. “I was getting better but because of the conflict, my situation is getting worse due to lack of treatment. I had started to see again, blurry but I could see. But now I cannot see anything,” explains Ajak.
Now living in a refugee camp in South Sudan, Ayul is one of many vulnerable persons receiving support from Oxfam, while her children, especially the eldest one, aged 12 and 9, must now take the role of caregivers to her.
“I get a monthly cash assistance, buckets, dignity kits, soap from Oxfam which has continued to help me since my arrival but with a family of six, I would want to do more to feed my children,” she explains.
Unlike most people here, Ajak cannot go to collect firewood or water for her family. “For now, I just sit at home, and my children help me move around. My eldest daughter goes to fetch water, while I help care for the younger ones. I worry for my daughter every time she leaves home due to insecurity on the road.”
Despite the support, conditions in the camp are dire, with limited access to water, health care and hygiene facilities. Ajak and thousands of refugees and returnees live in overcrowded tents and have very little food for their children, while those with special needs face even greater challenges in this harsh environment.
For Ajak, her hope is to get treatment and be able to reverse her blindness, but the chances are slim due to lack of health facilities for refugees and returnees and South Sudan health care system.
The war has stolen her vision and her stability, but it has not stolen her hope. She dreams of one day returning to Sudan, reuniting with her family, resuming her treatment, and continuing her work at the biscuit factory. But as the conflict rages on, those dreams feel increasingly distant.
"I wish for two things—one is peace, so we can go back to a normal life. And I need to resume my treatment so I can take care of my children."
Ayul’s story is a reminder of the impacts faced by people living with disabilities in conflict zones. Many are already vulnerable even before the war, but the horrors of the war leave them with lifelong physical, emotional, and physical wounds.
Oxfam has also provided wheelchairs to people with mobility challenges to help them access essential services such as cash assistance, soap, buckets, dignity kits, and protection services, ensuring their immediate needs are met with care and dignity.