“New school, new hope” for Ethiopian refugees in Sudan
On 22nd February 2023 Windle Trust International opened a new school for Ethiopian refugees in Camp6 Refugee Camp in Sudan. The project was funded by UNHCR and the 10-classroom school was officially opened by the Blue Nile State Minister of Education, Hon. Ishraga Ahmed Khamis at a ceremony yesterday.
“New School, new hope”, declared Najiba Barakzai, a UNHCR representative at the school’s opening ceremony. The new facility will bring renewed strength and hope to the Ethiopian refugee population in Camp6, Blue Nile State. With 10 classrooms, water and sanitation facilities, and office space for teachers, the new school will allow those displaced by the ongoing conflicts in Ethiopia to continue with their educations despite the disruption and devastation to their lives.
State Minister of Education Hon. Ishraga Ahmed Khamis, pictured wearing a headscarf, officially opens a new school in Camp6, Blue Nile State Sudan
Camp 6 Refugee Camp in Wad Almahi locaity, Blue Nile State, Sudan was established in 2021 to support the influx of Ethiopian refugees to the region from 2020. The camp currently hosts 8,819 refugees from five Ethiopian ethnic groups, including Gumuz (87%), Oromo (4%), Tigrayan (4%) Berta (4%) and Ahara (2%). Strikingly, there are 4,947 children resident in the camp alongside 2,239 women of child-bearing age.
These statistics demonstrated to the UN refugee agency that there was a great need to expand educational services in the camp and in 2022 contracted Windle Trust International to construct a new school. The construction of the school was completed in December 2022 and on 22nd February 2023 the school was officially opened by the Blue Nile State Minister of Education, Hon. Ishraga Ahmed Khamis who was accompanied by the Humanitarian Aid Commission State Deputy Commissioner, the Commission of Refugee Camp Manager and the Locality Education Authorities.
Mr. David Masua, the Executive Director of Windle Trust International, attended the ceremony with the Sudan Country Director Mr. Asim Turkawi and Programme Manager Arkano Ismail. He thanked UNHCR for their continued support and assured both the refugees and the host communities of Windle Trust’s commitment to refugee education. He also informed the gathering that Windle Trust International has received further funding from UNHCR to support two schools in the camp in 2023 through paying teachers’ salaries, providing school supplies, and providing teacher training.
Mr. Masua thanked the government and the host community for their support to the refugees and for working in partnership with Windle Trust International. He further challenged the refugee community to support the education of their children, including both boys and girls.
“Education provides real hope for the refugees, both now and for the future. Education transforms societies and will transform their lives. ”
The Hon. Minister of Education, UNHCR, and WTI staff gather for a group photo at the school gate
As a whole, Sudan hosts over a million refugees from Chad, Central African Republic, Eritrea, Yemen, South Sudan, Syria, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ethiopia. There are 52,000 Ethiopian refugees and asylum seekers in the Sudan, and 10,000 of these live in the Blue Nile region. WTI opened an office in Damazine, Blue Nile State in 2021 and is committed to supporting the region, including both refugee and host communities.
Our Blue and White Nile Scholarships provide tertiary-level education for those from the region and are funded entirely through individual donations.
A gift of just £25 supports the university tuition fees of a student for 6 months, whilst £100 supports a whole year of living expenses. You can support our valuable work in the region with a one-off or regular gift.