Sudan: How these four #WomenHumanitarians are saving lives in one of the most challenging environments
From the conflict-affected zones of Darfur region or Blue Nile State to the most food-insecure areas of Red Sea or North Kordofan states, every day, in every part of Sudan, the strength and perseverance of women humanitarians is saving an uncountable number of lives.
In Sudan, women humanitarians – who often work in the most remote communities – can access people and places that men cannot. These women aid workers provide vital information, support and services to women and girls who would otherwise be out of reach. But too often, because of their gender, women humanitarians face obstacles in doing their work, including sexism, discrimination and sexual harassment.
The four women featured here have overcome those challenges and are on the front lines every day, delivering aid, providing key logistical support or leading a team. These are their stories.
Pauline Njuguna: “When you see a positive change, you just keep going”
Pauline has worked in some of the most challenging places in Somalia and South Sudan. Most recently, she has been leading OCHA’s sub-office in Central Darfur State in Sudan. Having always worked in conflict-affected zones, Pauline has dealt with serious security incidents and survived a terrorist attack in Somalia. “It’s not easy. We face all these issues and at the same time we are away from our families, from our children,” she says.
What concerns Pauline the most is the risk of gender-based violence. “Unfortunately, it’s a reality that we face. I know that there are some places I cannot go, or I can be sexually assaulted,” she says. In Darfur, sexual crimes are used as weapons of war. In 2018, the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) documented 122 incidents of sexual violence involving 199 victims.
For Pauline, focusing on the results she can achieve together with her colleagues has helped her to overcome any obstacles. “Even with all these issues, I didn’t give up working for humanity,” she says. “This year, we assisted more than 4 million people in Sudan. When you see a positive change, you just keep going.”
Marwa Arbab: “It’s really important for women to play a role during emergencies”
Working as a humanitarian has been life-changing for Marwa. Since joining the World Food Programme (WFP) in Sudan in 2004, she says she has gained a “world perspective and a new way of seeing life”.
Her own empowerment made Marwa realize the importance of having more women involved in humanitarian responses. “It’s really important for women to play a role during emergencies, especially to support other women and girls in need,” she says.
Huda Abouh Mohamed Ali: “I always see hope when I can support women or children who are suffering”
What strikes Huda the most is seeing women giving birth in open spaces and having nothing to wrap their babies with once they are born. “Once I offered my veil that I use to cover my head, as a Muslim woman, because the mother had nothing to use,” she recounts.
But these moments are just some of the tough experiences she has faced as a WFP Field Monitor and Gender Focal Point in Mornei, West Darfur. She has seen children and women crying because of hunger and young girls raped, sometimes by more than one man. But her worse moment was when she herself faced the risk of sexual assault. “A brave colleague saved me from being raped,” she says.
Despite these traumas, Huda is still optimistic. In her daily work, she has saved many lives. The most recent was a 13-year-old girl she found who had been raped by three men. “She is now being assisted and is safe,” Huda says. “I always see hope when I can support women or children who are suffering.”
Ana Garcia: “Being a woman in a country where women don’t have equal rights is not easy”
Ana has been in Sudan for more than two years and, as part of her responsibilities with OCHA, helps to coordinate humanitarian aid in the country. She is proud that the humanitarian system is improving, despite such huge challenges as the lack of funds.
But for Ana, working in Sudan has some setbacks. “Being a woman in a country where women don’t have equal rights is not easy,” she says. In her mind, more must be done to ensure that women aid workers are able to do their work free from violence and harassment. “Increasing our representation in management levels is one step,” she notes.
Many humanitarian organizations – including UN agencies and NGOs – are striving to achieve gender parity at leadership levels. The UN has committed to reach full gender parity at the Under-Secretary-General and Assistant Secretary-General levels well before an initial target of 2030.