SUDAN SUPPORT PROJECT 2024-25
Last Autumn, Art Refuge was asked to deliver urgent training/support for a Sudanese staff team living and working just across Sudan’s southern border in Yida refugee camp in South Sudan.
The aim of the charity @greenkordofan is to bring sports to young people in Yida refugee camp which is currently home to 46,000 people; just over 50% of the total population being children aged between 5 and 17. The charity was founded by its director, Raga Gibreel, who lives in Folkestone, UK, and with whom we previously worked supporting men housed in Napier Barracks.
We have been very keen to support this project as we have seen the immense suffering in the region caused by the civil conflict in Sudan and the shocking lack of international response. Mental health support and training appears to be non-existent.
Our training has focused on supporting the team to think holistically about safeguarding and self-care in this charged, often overwhelming context. The Art Refuge team has consisted of art therapists Miriam Usiskin, Bobby Lloyd, Jess Linton & Sandra Elsabbagh, the latter an Egyptian art therapist, Arabic speaker, and ultimate frisbee sportswoman.
Using unrestricted funds, we have offered a fortnightly online session since October to a small team on the ground, setting tasks including mapping their camp area, firstly on paper and then through red clay dug up from the ground. Having brought in other members of the camp community to participate in this local mapping exercise, the team shared these immensely powerful images and footage, evoking camp life - with all sorts of creatures finding their way onto the table.
We were of course immediately reminded of the beautifully crafted plasticine animals so often made by young men from both Sudan and South Sudan at The Community Table in Calais.
If you would like to support this project with a donation, please visit our Linktree or email: info@artrefuge.org.uk 🙏🧡🙏
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