Wisam sits in her classroom, absorbed in her work, her fingers gripping a blue-coloured pencil, carefully sketching a flower in her notebook, one of more than 100,000 displaced students in war-torn Sudan who have returned to classes, with the support of Education Cannot Wait for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) efforts to distribute urgently needed school supplies to help them get back to learning.
Despite the noise and bustle of classmates packing up, nine-year-old Wisam is focused on the picture she is bringing to life from her desk. When she's finished, she puts her beloved pencils back into her bag.
The supplies in her new backpack are a constant reminder of the hope she carries, even in the face of extreme hardship. Wisam is just one of the millions of children that have been displaced by the brutal conflict.
I left my toys, books, uniform, bag and pencils. My uniform was beautiful.
The country is facing the world's largest child displacement crisis, with more than 17 million school-aged children currently out of school. Hundreds of school buildings have been damaged or destroyed since the beginning of the war in Sudan in April 2023. Many others are being used as shelters.
With the reopening of 489 schools, nearly 119,870 children across Sudan's Red Sea state have returned to class. ECW and partners like UNICEF continue to support girls and boys in the whole of Sudan to ensure that, even in the most challenging circumstances, displaced children can continue their education.
Wisam has already experienced more hardship than many will in a lifetime. Forced to flee her home in Sinnar when the armed conflict reached them, Wisam and her family sought safety in Port Sudan, leaving behind nearly all of their belongings, including Wisam's school uniform.
Backpacks for a brighter future
When schools finally reopened in Port Sudan, Wisam's family could not afford the necessary school supplies. Thanks to UNICEF, with funding from Education Cannot Wait ( ECW ) - the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises in the United Nations - Wisam has received essential school supplies and even a new school uniform.
When Wisam and her siblings enrolled in their new school in Port Sudan, their excitement to learn again was tempered by their lack of necessary school supplies. The challenges of displacement meant that they didn't have the means to purchase everything that would be needed to thrive in the classroom.
Fortunately, Wisam's school is one of many in Sudan that is receiving vital school supplies thanks to ECW support. Through this initiative, which aims to ensure that all children have the tools they need to return to learning, Wisam and her siblings received new school uniforms and backpacks filled with notebooks, erasers, coloured pencils, chalk, rulers and more.
"I love my new bag," she said. "It's much bigger than the one I had at home."
More than just school books
To Wisam, her new backpack contains more than just her school books and supplies. It carries her dreams for a brighter, more peaceful future in her homeland that allows her to learn, grow and reach her full potential.
Today, Wisam is a third grader that eagerly participates in class discussions and raises her hand confidently to answer questions. Her new uniform adds to her sense of pride and belonging.
But, it's in her moments of quiet solitude amidst the chaos that has surrounded her since the war began that Wisam truly comes alive. After the school day ends, Wisam lingers in the classroom, absorbed in her drawings. The colourful flowers, sketched with so much care, are a testament to her creativity and determination to find beauty even in difficult circumstances.
With the new set of coloured pencils she's received, Wisam can now express herself in ways she never could before.
"I will share the colours with my siblings," she said.
In times of crisis, education is critical, not just for academic learning, but also for providing a sense of normalcy, stability and safety. Indeed, the school supplies initiative is part of ECW's holistic response in Sudan and neighbouring countries, which is supporting the establishment of children's safe spaces and temporary learning centres, teacher training, the provision of learning materials, mental health and psychosocial support and more.
Home is better than here, but we can't go back because of the war. The war is very bad.
Schools offer displaced children like Wisam a safe space to heal from the trauma of conflict. They also help protect children from harmful practices such as child marriage, child labour and forced recruitment into armed groups, giving them the chance to pursue their dreams and build a better future.
"Home is better than here, but we can't go back because of the war," she said. "The war is very bad."
Still, Wisam remains hopeful. With the support she has received, she now feels that education is her way forward.
Needs are escalating
To date, ECW support has reached 135,000 crisis-affected girls and boys in Sudan . ECW investments in the country total $33.7 million and support the building and rehabilitation of classrooms, provision of learning and teaching materials, teacher training, improvement of access to drinking water, gender-sensitive water and sanitation facilities and improvement of access to quality, inclusive and child-friendly education.
ECW has also provided more than $20 million in response to the regional refugee education needs, with grants announced in the Central African Republic , Chad , Egypt , Ethiopia , Libya, South Sudan and Uganda.
But, the needs in Sudan, and in crises around the world, are only escalating. A recent report by ECW finds that 234 million school-aged girls and boys are affected by crises and need urgent support to access quality education. This is an increase of at least 35 million over the past three years.
For Wisam, her new backpack, once a reminder of everything she was forced to leave behind, now carries the weight of all she hopes to achieve. With each lesson, she's stepping closer to the future she deserves, a future the nine-year-old is determined to create.
