Packed with Promise: Wisam’s Journey

With the support of Education Cannot Wait, UNICEF distributes urgently needed school supplies to help displaced children in Sudan get back to learning

By Education Cannot Wait

February 21^st, 2025

Adapted Story from the Field. Special Contribution by UNICEF Sudan (Original).

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Wisam sits in her classroom, absorbed in her work. Her fingers grip a blue colored pencil, carefully sketching a flower in her notebook. Despite the noise and bustle of classmates packing up, she is focused on the picture she is bringing to life from her desk. When she’s finished, she puts her beloved pencils back into her bag.

The supplies in her new backpack are a constant reminder of the hope she carries, even in the face of extreme hardship.

At just nine years old, Wisam has already experienced more hardship than many will in a lifetime. Forced to flee her home in Sinnar when the armed conflict reached them, Wisam and her family sought safety in Port Sudan – leaving behind nearly all of their belongings, including Wisam’s beloved school uniform.

“I left my toys, books, uniform, bag and pencils. My uniform was beautiful.” ~Wisam, 9

When schools finally reopened in Port Sudan, Wisam’s family could not afford the necessary school supplies. Thanks to UNICEF, with funding from Education Cannot Wait (ECW) – the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises in the United Nations – Wisam has received essential school supplies and even a new school uniform. This initiative is part of ECW's holistic response in Sudan and neighboring countries, which is supporting the establishment of children's safe spaces and temporary learning centres, teacher training, the provision of learning materials, mental health and psychosocial support, and more.

Nine-year-old Wisam in her classroom in Port Sudan. © UNICEF/Elfatih

When Wisam and her siblings enrolled in their new school in Port Sudan, their excitement to learn again was tempered by their lack of necessary school supplies. The challenges of displacement meant that they didn’t have the means to purchase everything that would be needed to thrive in the classroom.

Fortunately, Wisam’s school is one of many in Sudan that is receiving vital school supplies thanks to ECW support. Through this initiative – which aims to ensure that all children have the tools they need to return to learning – Wisam and her siblings received new school uniforms and backpacks filled with notebooks, erasers, colored pencils, chalk, rulers and more.

“I love my new bag. It’s much bigger than the one I had at home.”

To Wisam, her new backpack contains more than just her school books and supplies. It carries her dreams for a brighter, more peaceful future in her homeland. A future that allows her to learn, grow and reach her full potential.

Wisam puts her school supplies away in her new backpack in her school in Port Sudan. © UNICEF/Elfatih

Today, Wisam is in Grade 3. She eagerly participates in class discussions and raises her hand confidently to answer questions. Her new uniform adds to her sense of pride and belonging.

But it’s in her moments of quiet solitude – amidst the chaos that has surrounded her since the war began – that Wisam truly comes alive. After the school day ends, Wisam lingers in the classroom, absorbed in her drawings. The colorful flowers, sketched with so much care, are a testament to her creativity and determination to find beauty even in difficult circumstances.

With the new set of colored pencils she’s received, Wisam can now express herself in ways she never could before. “I will share the colors with my siblings,” she says.

Wisam sketches a flower at school using the new school supplies she’s received. © UNICEF/Elfatih

Hundreds of school buildings have been damaged or destroyed since the beginning of the war in Sudan in April 2023. Many others are being used as shelters.

In times of crisis, education is critical – not just for academic learning, but also for providing a sense of normalcy, stability and safety. Schools offer displaced children like Wisam a safe space to heal from the trauma of conflict. They also help protect children from harmful practices such as child marriage, child labor and forced recruitment into armed groups, giving them the chance to pursue their dreams and build a better future.

Wisam is just one of the millions of children that have been displaced by the brutal conflict. The country is facing the world’s largest child displacement crisis, with more than 17 million school-aged children currently out of school.

“Home is better than here. But we can’t go back because of the war. The war is very bad.”

Still, Wisam remains hopeful. With the support she has received, she now feels that education is her way forward.

Wisam, 9, speaks at her school in Port Sudan. © UNICEF/Elfatih

With the reopening of 489 schools, nearly 119,870 children across Sudan’s Red Sea State have returned to class. ECW and partners like UNICEF continue to support girls and boys in the whole of Sudan to ensure that, even in the most challenging circumstances, displaced children can continue their education.

To date, ECW support has reached 135,000 crisis-affected girls and boys in Sudan. ECW investments in the country total US$33.7 million and support the building and rehabilitation of classrooms, provision of learning and teaching materials, teacher training, improvement of access to drinking water, gender-sensitive water and sanitation facilities, and improvement of access to quality, inclusive and child-friendly education. ECW has also provided more than US$20 million in response to the regional refugee education needs, with grants announced in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan and Uganda.

But the needs in Sudan, and in crises around the world, are only escalating. A recent report by ECW finds that 234 million school-aged girls and boys are affected by crises and need urgent support to access quality education. This is an increase of at least 35 million over the past three years.

Wisam’s story is a reminder of the resilience and strength of children, and the transformative power of education. Her backpack, once a reminder of everything she was forced to leave behind, now carries the weight of all she hopes to achieve. With each lesson, she’s stepping closer to the future she deserves – a future the nine-year-old is determined to create.

Wisam takes part in a lesson at her new school in Port Sudan. © UNICEF/Elfatih

Access high-resolution photos from this story and our full media library on ECW’s Flickr

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