Saba’s Story: One Family’s Fight for a Future

Saba, 14-years-old, loves learning languages, especially French and English—though French isn’t taught at her school in Farchana Refugee Camp, Chad.

She excels at Arabic and is eager to learn more to communicate beyond her own community. She believes that sharing languages fosters understanding and connection.

“When we talk directly, we can help and can really understand each other. We suffered a lot in our war, and we don’t want others to suffer. We are going to help those who come behind us. We want the war to stop. We don’t want children to be born here to see the war continue,” says Saba.

In Farchana, World Vision feeds school children what might be their only meal of the day.

In Sudan, Saba’s family had three meals a day. Now they have two. Each day, Saba, her brother, and two cousins bring their school meal home to share with their family. Together, the 4 of them split their meal between ten people.

Caption: Saba (right) eats part of her school meal with friends before bringing the majority of it home to share with her family.

Caption: Saba (left) brings her school meal home to share with her family.

Caption: Saba’s family, in their home in Farchana Refugee Camp.

Saba’s mother, Zoulaikham, teaches physics at a secondary school nearby.

“My mother is my role model because she thinks of us most. She does her best to support us. What she earns isn’t enough, but she does her best to take care of us—to eat and do dinner and if we need anything, she tries,” shares Saba.

Her father, stayed behind in Sudan.

Zoulaikham recounts: “He said. ‘I was born here—this is my home. I was born here, and I will die here.”

They haven’t heard from him since.

In June 2023, Zoulaikha’s home in El Geneina, Sudan was under attack. The streets were filled with gunfire, and their home, once a place of security, was no longer safe.

“I wanted to save my children. They were afraid and there were loud gun noises. We suffered along on the way,” says Zoulaikha.

Caption: A portrait of Zoulaikha, Saba’s mother.

Caption: A portrait of Sadia, Saba’s grandmother.

“We were inside rooms, and they shot at us like rain,” says Saba’s grandmother, Sadia. The killings were relentless—on the first day, they saw 50 people die, and the next, 92 more.

Once they were able, they fled toward Chad, walking for hours until someone picked them up.

Along the way, they were attacked: “They shot at us. They looted everything—our telephone, money, and dates,” Saba’s mother said.

When they finally crossed the border, the silence was a relief. Zoulaikha says, “When we crossed, there were no guns, no shooting. We said ‘praises.’”

But the trauma of the conflict does not end at the border.

For families like Saba’s, the memories of gunfire, loss, and fear linger. “We are psychologically scarred,” Zoulaikha says.

“There’s mental health support in the camps. It helps, but it’s not enough.”

She experiences horrific nightmares reliving her trauma again and again. “We need development, but our minds are also suffering.”

She hears children whisper to each other about what they endured along their way to Chad. They ask if the war will reach them again. But there’s no space to talk to them about it. “Because they’re Sudanese and I don’t want them to endure it again. I hate it. And I don’t want them to suffer again.”

Looking towards the future, Zoulaikha shares, “For my tomorrow, I want to live in a safe environment and education for children. I worry about their future. I don’t want to stay here. They stopped their education when the conflict began. And if they stop, they lose … then even if something happens to me, if they’re educated, then they still can have a future.”

Saba’s dream of a peaceful future and her determination to keep learning, even in the face of hardship, is one of courage, family, and the belief that every child deserves safety, education, and a chance to thrive.

Our 30 Hour Famine theme, “The Walk to Freedom,” spotlights what life is like for millions of children like Saba who have been forced to leave their homes due to conflict.

Experience a glimpse of their journey, take a stand in support for families seeking hope beyond conflict.

Sign up for 30 Hour Famine today.