27th September 2025
A personal story of displacement, resilience, and refugee-led solidarity
Leaving home is never a simple decision. For me, it was not a choice at all but a necessity when the war broke out in Sudan in 2023. Overnight, my life as an environmental engineer and mother of two was turned upside down.
With my family, I fled Khartoum to northern Sudan, traveling over 500 kilometers in the back of a crowded truck under the burning April sun. For nearly a month, we moved from one small town to another, constantly searching for safety but never finding certainty.
Eventually, we made the painful decision to cross into South Sudan.
My children during the journey; exhaustion mixed with uncertainty on the road to South Sudan.
The journey was long and exhausting by buses, then by car, covering about 1,400 kilometers to reach Renk. From there we boarded a cargo plane. It was crowded, hot, and unsafe, but it was the only way forward.
The crowded cargo plane from Renk, South Sudan a desperate but necessary flight to safety.
It’s changed me forever, it gave me not only scars but also a mission to make sure no one else has to walk this path alone
By August 2023, we finally arrived in Entebbe, Uganda. I was tired and displaced, carrying both fear and hope but determined to rebuild life for my children.
Leaving home is not just about crossing borders. It is about carrying memories, hopes, and fears into the unknown.
For urban refugees like myself, the reality is particularly complex. We are not in formal settlements where systems are structured; instead, we navigate life in cities searching for schools, healthcare, housing, and work, often without recognition or access to aid.
And yet, amid all these challenges, I discovered something powerful – Community. In Entebbe, I met women, youth, and families from Sudan and beyond. Together, though each of us had lost something, we began building something new.
My reflections on leaving home are not only about loss, but also about resilience. Home is no longer a single place for me; it is a network of people, a shared struggle, and a collective dream of dignity and peace.
There I see every day how refugees are not passive beneficiaries. We are leaders, innovators, and bridge builders. But we face challenges like limited funding, lack of recognition, and systemic barriers that prevent refugee-led initiatives from thriving.
Displacement is not the end of a story. It is the beginning of a new one. For me, leaving Sudan meant losing my home but in Uganda, I found resilience, solidarity, and a new vision of hope. Even in loss, women are building new beginnings. We are not only survivors, we are leaders shaping our own future.
The Humanitarian Leadership Academy accelerates the movement for locally-led humanitarian action by convening local voices, nurturing leaders, and driving collective action. As a member of The Coalition for Mutual Aid in Sudan, HLA is committed to supporting those affected by the crisis – by providing space and advocating for humanitarians working through the difficult situation.
Rayan’s reflection is one of millions and is a call to think about Sudan – real lives and real people disrupted by crisis from conflict to climate.