Sudanese refugee leads new school for over a thousand children in Chad camp

Sahra grew up in el-Geneina, West Darfur, and earned a degree in education administration before the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces forced her to leave Sudan in 2023. She joined the wave of roughly one million Sudanese refugees now in Chad, where Plan International and partners opened a primary school in 2024. The school now serves 1,059 pupils with a staff of 30, including Sahra as head teacher.

Chad already grapples with a severe literacy crisis, with over two million youths unable to read or write and most teachers lacking higher education, a problem worsened by the refugee influx. Teachers must adjust to Chad’s curriculum and language differences, while the camp lacks basic facilities such as electricity and toilets. Plan International stresses an integrated approach that links education with child protection, and officials note that refugee teachers bring cultural exchange and cross-border solidarity.