Education offers refugee women and girls in South Sudan a path to safety

Ten years ago Hanuna Ismail, then 16, was forced to flee her hometown in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains after deadly fighting engulfed her village. Having seen so much destruction in what she called home, she and her family were fearful the same fate would befall them. Worse still, the impacts of a serious drought were being felt across the community, leading to severe food and water shortages.

Soon after, they decided to leave in search of a fresh start in a safer place. Two weeks later, they arrived at the Ajuong Thok refugee camp in South Sudan. The road to safety was full of danger—armed groups, hunger, and wild animals—and not everyone she had left with survived.

“When we fled, we encountered armed groups who often targeted and robbed women and children. Out of the 60 people I fled with, three lost their lives. There was constant bombing along the way,” she recalls.

Once at the camp, she found refuge in learning, excelling at a secondary school supported by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Six years later, Hanuna finished her basic education, graduating third in the entire Ruweng Administrative Area.

While pondering on how she was going to proceed further with her education, she learned about the Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative Fund, widely known as the DAFI scholarship, through her teachers and UNHCR staff in Ajuong Thok refugee camp. After undergoing the DAFI scholarship competitive process and being selected, she enrolled to study Logistics and Procurement at a local university. The now 26-year old is among 38 other refugee graduates after successfully completing her three-year degree program.

For Hanuna, getting a university degree was the key she needed to open doors that had once seemed distant. When she fled her home, survival was her only focus, and education seemed out of reach. Now, she dreams of being a source of inspiration for young girls in her community.

“Education gave me purpose,” she explains. “I want to show other young girls in my community that, despite escaping violence, they can rebuild their lives and achieve their dreams through education.”

Education in the fight against GBV

During the 16 Days of Activism, stories like Hanuna’s highlight how education can provide a protective environment for children and youth at risk of gender-based violence (GBV) during conflict. The risk of exposure to different forms of GBV can be mitigated specifically for girls who are less likely to enter early marriages or engage in sexually exploitative income-earning activities. Education is also a durable solution as it is a valuable asset for future economic and social opportunities for women, girls and other at-risk groups. It empowers them to overcome systemic gender oppression and provides them with knowledge and skills.

“The 16 Days of Activism Campaign underscores the urgent need to eliminate gender-based violence and discrimination,” said Tabasum Noor Jamal, UNHCR's GBV officer in South Sudan. “By ensuring access to quality education, we equip girls to challenge societal norms, break cycles of violence, and build futures rooted in equality and opportunity."

Giving refugees access to higher education remains a priority for UNHCR, as outlined in Education 2030: A Strategy for Refugee Education, and forms an integral part of UNHCR’s protection and solutions mandate.

The DAFI scholarship gives hope to young refugees, protecting them from the memories of war and paying for the education they would otherwise be denied. UNHCR provides multi-faceted assistance to refugees, including ensuring a protective environment, access to basic services, and a chance for education and livelihoods.

Since it began operating 32 years ago, the DAFI scholarship programme has reached over 26,300 students in 59 countries.

Learn more about how the DAFI programme empowers refugees and how you can support higher education for displaced communities here.