Hope After War: Women stories in Exile

After the war in Sudan erupted in 2023, UN estimates say over 14. 3 million people were forced to flee, over 4 million people were refugees and asylum seekers, most of them women and children. I am one of them. From late 2023, I lived in South Sudan without papers until I finally obtained refugee status in Uganda in 2024.

That experience pushed me to start documenting refugee stories, especially of the Sudanese refugee community in East Africa. Many face harsh realities, struggling for asylum in Ethiopia, abandoned in forests without aid, or enduring Kenya's long asylum process that, even when completed, comes with restrictions preventing a decent life. Uganda was different. With its long history of hosting refugees, it opened its doors to Sudanese fleeing the war. It still has its challenges, but in terms of legal documentation and a chance to rebuild, it remains one of the best options.

Despite all this hardship, Sudanese communities, especially women, are rising. In Uganda, Sudanese women found some sort of equality, a space where they can do a lot of things that were limited due to the Sudanese community limitations and restrictions. I've seen women start businesses, seek education, defend rights, and create art. I tried to show how Sudanese women in exile strive for new beginnings, choosing life, hope, and resilience over grief and loss, despite all of the experiences they have been through, and that becoming a refugee is not the final step, maybe it's just the beginning.