Umomubana (16), fled from Sudan to Uganda with her sister after their parents were killed.
When 16-year-old Umomubana crossed into Uganda, she had nothing but the clothes she was wearing and her younger sister’s hand in hers.
Their parents had been killed in the war in Sudan. Overnight the two girls became the only family each other had left.
Children fleeing the war often have to walk for days. They arrive in neighbouring countries exhausted and urgently needing food, clean water, medical care and psychological support.
“I was worried all the time before coming to Uganda because of what was happening in my country. When me and my sister arrived in Kiryandongo settlement, we met War Child and told them we were alone and lost our parents. The team registered and connected us to a [host] family that took good care of us and made me and my sister feel comfortable and protected from where the war was.Umomubana
Umomubana is one of the hundreds of thousands of people forced to flee Sudan since the war started in 2023. Around 90,000 people have fled to Uganda, nearly half of them are children.
Some arrive injured, others having survived further violence along the journey, including sexual abuse. Uganda’s reception centres are overwhelmed. Funding is shrinking. Systems to protect already vulnerable families and children are stretched to breaking point.
Yet, every day, more children arrive.
Together, with our local partner Uganda Refugee and Disaster Management Council, War Child is working in refugee settlements in Uganda, registering unaccompanied children and connecting them to safe foster families, as well as providing vital mental health and wellbeing programmes.
Caroline, a Senior Protection Officer working on the frontline of this crisis, sees the pressure first hand: “Given the increasing number of refugees, there is need to continue finding and supporting children in terms of case management and also providing them with shelter. There's a lot of challenge given the number of new arrivals, and especially the most vulnerable that are not able to provide for their basic needs.”
Despite these growing issues, War Child and its partners continue to stand alongside children like Umomubana. Through TeamUp play based sessions, children are slowly rebuilding their confidence, forming new friendships and taking gentle steps towards healing.
In these safe spaces, they are given time to play, to laugh, and to use sport and movement to express feelings that are often too heavy for words. Those most at risk are carefully identified and referred for specialised care.
For children like Umomubana, safety is only the beginning of her already long journey. She is, with War Child's help, slowly rebuilding her life, piece by piece.
“In my free time I love playing Netball with other girls like me and my hope is to study and finish to become an accountant one day.Umomubana
Her dream is simple, the chance to learn, grow and to build a future that was once taken from her.
War Child supported Umomubana with our local partner, the Uganda Refugee and Disaster Management Council. This work is part of the ECHO-funded STEPS project, Sustainable Transition to Emergency and Protection Services in Uganda.
