Shaima Ali, a refugee from Sudan in Renk, South Sudan speaks on her experience relocating after being displaced from the conflict in Sudan while holding her baby Fahima during feeding time. (Photo: Herison Philip Osfaldo/Oxfam)
Written by Fatuma Noor
The flight from conflict in Sudan with her family, while she was six months pregnant with her daughter, was a difficult journey. But in many ways, Shiama Ali’s challenges were just as hard after arriving in South Sudan.
“The situation was so difficult then when we arrived,” Ali says. As the family had no money, and her husband was ill, Ali had to find a way to support their three children – and one other coming soon. “I had to go to the forest to collect firewood for sale, which is three hours away when you walk – and I was pregnant.”
“There was no one to help me. I was the one responsible for everything at home.”
Refugee influx to South Sudan
Ali and her family are among more than 978,693 Sudanese refugees (and returning South Sudanese residents) fleeing violent conflict and seeking shelter in South Sudan. The violence in Sudan is now also precipitating a famine, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) in a report issued December 2024.
“Half of the population (24.6 million people) is facing high levels of acute food insecurity driven by the devastating conflict, which has triggered unprecedented mass displacement, a collapsing economy, the breakdown of essential social services coupled with poor humanitarian access.” The IPC report describes famine conditions in five areas of Sudan with many more projected to be in famine by March 2025.
Ali and her family are living in a makeshift wood-framed, plastic covered shelter along with two other families. Ali’s family area is separated from the others by a screen of worn-out cloth, and they all cook outside using charcoal for fuel. Their dwelling is jammed together among thousands of other refugee families.
Oxfam is assisting people in Renk, a town bordering with Sudan, by installing emergency drinking water systems, toilets, and bathing facilities. In addition, Oxfam is providing hygiene and dignity kits – with essential items like soap, detergent for washing clothes, and toothbrushes and toothpaste. The dignity kits provided to women also have underwear, menstrual items, and a solar-powered flashlight.
Water, sanitation, and maintaining proper hygiene are essential to avoid water-borne diseases such as cholera, which have proven to be a serious threat. In October 2024, the Ministry of Health in South Sudan declared a cholera outbreak in Renk with hundreds of cholera cases now reported. Local conditions such as overcrowding continue to contribute further to the spread of the disease.
By the end of 2024, Oxfam has assisted more than 140,000 people crossing the border from South Sudan and seeking refuge in South Sudan.
Cash as a form of protection
“The most challenging thing here is lack of food,” Ali says. "Every home is facing hunger. Sometimes, as we are sleeping, and you will hear a child crying loudly. When you ask why the child is crying, they will tell you ‘The child has not eaten any food.’”
“Lack of food is the biggest problem.”
To find money to buy food for her family, Ali walked into nearby forest areas to gather firewood, which she hauled back to the camp to sell. This can be dangerous for women who are walking long distances by themselves.
To help improve security for women, Oxfam is providing cash – so far, Oxfam has distributed multi-purpose cash assistance to 32,247 people in this area of South Sudan.
Shaima Ali, a refugee from Sudan selling charcoal outside her home in Renk, South Sudan. (Photo: Herison Philip Osfaldo/Oxfam)
“When Oxfam helped me, I stopped going to the forest and started a small business to support myself with the cash assistance I received."
With her first disbursement of cash from Oxfam (about $US 80), she also bought clothes for her newborn baby daughter.
With the second cash disbursement of $US 50, Ali invested in some bedding. “When I gave birth, I was sleeping down on the floor (with just a mat) with my daughter and an insect bit her. So, I used the money Oxfam gave me to buy a bed and mattress where all my children now sleep,” Ali says.
Most crucially, her business and cash assistance from Oxfam have helped Ali afford enough food for the family.
“After I got support from Oxfam, my children have never gone hungry. Every time I get profit from the business, I buy some food for them.”
Their meals frequently consist of sorghum, okra, and beans.
A limited income, some money for food, and a more comfortable sleeping arrangement have provided a small measure of happiness for Ali and her family. The cash, she says, “has changed my life for better.”
Life in a refugee camp is far from easy, as Ali’s children suffer from health problems and can’t go to school. She sees other pregnant women struggling and wishes Oxfam and other aid groups could do more to help them.
But Ali is grateful for the cash and other help from Oxfam. “When I came here, the first support I got was from Oxfam,” she says. “Oxfam supported me.”