When armed men came to Akech’s home in February 2024, everything changed.
She had been living in Kalagala, an area of Khartoum, Sudan with her husband and seven children. He worked as a brick maker. She cleaned houses for Sudanese families. Life was not easy, but it was stable. Her children were in school. She was pregnant with her youngest.
Then soldiers forced their way into the house. And her husband and eldest son were killed trying to stop them from raping her. Their sacrifice gave Akech time to shield her other children and then escape with them.
The funding crisis has seen international aid drop by 40%. It’s seriously affecting our ability to be there for people like Akech.
If I’d stayed, they would’ve killed us all... I am still crying for the death of my son who was slaughtered like a cow in cold blood, oh my God.
Feeling, Akech had nothing but a little cash. And by the time they got to safety, what little she had was gone.
Fortunately, friends sheltered Akech and her children briefly and helped them find transport. For nine days, they travelled by truck towards the border.
They arrived in Renk, South Sudan and were placed in a refugee settlement. There, Akech gave birth.
But safety remained fragile. Violence later broke out in the camp, forcing her family to flee again. Eventually, she was relocated to Gumjuer East in South Sudan, where her husband’s relatives live. She hoped they might support her. They could not.
A community member offered her the use of an empty house. It was a beginning.
Image credits and information
Starting again
To survive, Akech began collecting water to sell at the Wedweil market. The income was small, but it allowed her to feed her children.
Then, in January, violence spread across South Sudan after footage circulated online of civilians being executed in Sudan. The Wedweil market was attacked, looted and burned to the ground.
Their livelihoods vanished overnight.
Now, Akech and her daughter collect firewood each day. They carry one bundle each to sell in a smaller local market. The work is slow and physically demanding. Together, they earn around 1,000 South Sudanese pounds a day. This is just a few pounds for hours of labour.
A crisis far beyond one family
Akech’s story is one of millions shaped by the conflict in Sudan.
Nearly 1,000 days since the fighting began, it has become the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. Almost 34 million people need humanitarian support. Families have been displaced again and again. Children are facing severe hunger.
At the same time, international aid budgets are being cut.
Across the region, funding shortfalls are forcing difficult decisions. Support programmes are stretched and the help available is reduced. The consequences are felt most sharply by families who’ve already lost everything.
For Akech, this all determines whether her children eat. Whether they return to school. Whether she can build a small business and regain independence.
A moment of breathing space
Recently, Akech received cash assistance supported by Christian Aid and the Scottish Government. The amount (323,000 South Sudanese pounds) is what she would otherwise earn in 323 days selling firewood. Around £59.
She knew exactly what she’d do with it.
First, she paid school fees. The day she received the money was the first day of the new school year. Her children had been in school in Sudan, and she wanted them back in class.
She bought a sack of sorghum to feed her family. And she used the rest to buy groundnuts to sell, hoping to build a steadier income.
It was a small amount. But it gave her something powerful: the dignity to choose.
Image credits and information
Why action matters
Christian Aid, alongside 12 other organisations, is urging the UK Government to push for a ceasefire, protect civilians and increase humanitarian funding.
As a major donor and the UN Security Council ‘penholder’ on Sudan, the UK has influence – and responsibility.
After nearly 1,000 days of conflict, families like Akech’s cannot afford further delay. That’s why we’re calling for urgent action, with petitions to be delivered to Downing Street in April 2026.
Akech has rebuilt her life more than once. She shouldn’t have to do it alone.
Sign the petition calling the UK government to act
