In the small village of Al Jabalain in Sudan’s White Nile State, the reopening of the local secondary school marks a powerful step toward community healing. Once dilapidated and empty due to years of conflict, the school now welcomes students into freshly renovated classrooms equipped with new desks, windows, and doors. For local families and displaced communities, this return to school restores a sense of normalcy, safety, and hope for the future.
White Nile State currently hosts roughly 400,000 refugees and 460,000 internally displaced people. The reopened school has seen enrolment surge, providing education to hundreds of displaced and local children, including more than 700 girls. For many students, it represents a return to learning after more than two and a half years of disruption, while teachers regain the opportunity to work with dignity and help shape the next generation.
For students like 17-year-old Omnia, who fled Khartoum in 2023, the reopening of schools offers both hope and opportunity. After years of displacement and interrupted learning, she is determined to excel and pursue her dream of studying medicine. The daily rhythm of lessons and the companionship of classmates provide a space for emotional recovery and personal growth, showing how education can restore confidence and resilience.
UNHCR and partners, in collaboration with Sudan’s Ministry of Education, have been rehabilitating schools to serve both displaced and host community children. These interventions include providing textbooks, uniforms, teaching resources, and other support to pupils and teachers. Funded through the multi-year PROSPECTS Partnership, the initiative bridges humanitarian response and long-term development, promoting inclusive education that integrates refugees into national systems.
Investments go beyond simple repairs, creating safe and functional learning environments with water, sanitation facilities, and new furniture. Teachers receive support to help students catch up academically, while students from diverse backgrounds learn side by side, sharing not only curriculum subjects like math, Arabic, and science but also values of tolerance, trust, and mutual understanding.
By strengthening public schools instead of creating parallel systems, the project enhances Sudan’s national education infrastructure, making it more resilient and adaptable for future generations. Complementary efforts by UNICEF in primary education ensure a continuum of learning from early childhood through adolescence, maximizing resources and national capacity while benefiting entire communities.
For Omnia and her peers, returning to school is more than academic—it is a symbol of hope, recovery, and the potential for a brighter future. She dreams of a Sudan where all children, especially girls, can continue their education, contribute to rebuilding their country, and see it thrive in peace and prosperity.
