KHARTOUM, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Every morning, members of Shabab Al-Khair Initiative, a Sudanese voluntary group of youth, travel to a shelter for displaced individuals in the Karari area of Omdurman city, north of the Sudanese capital Khartoum, to provide psychological support for children traumatized by the country's prolonged military conflict.
Sudan has been embroiled in a violent conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 15, 2023, resulting in at least 16,650 deaths and the displacement of millions of people.
"Since the war broke out, I have worked in all the shelter centers in Karari locality," Hala Omer, a group member specializing in child mental health, told Xinhua.
According to Omer, there are more than 160 shelter centers in Karari locality, accommodating thousands of children "who have been exposed to tough experiences, lived the horrors of war, and witnessed unforgettable atrocities."
"Thousands of children suffer from profound psychological effects resulting from war traumas, including fear, anxiety, stress, sleep disorders, panic, bedwetting, and violent behavior," she said.
To heal these children's emotional wounds, Omer said, the group employs several therapeutic methods, such as drawing, play and physical activities, engaging in their favorite hobbies, arranging trips and masquerade parties, puppet theater, writing, and drama.
"Through activities like dancing, singing and acting, we try to push away the fear which settled in the children's minds due to the horrors of war and the cruelty of the scenes they saw," Sherif El Nour, a member of the children's troupe affiliated with the radio, TV, and theater division of the group, told Xinhua.
Hani Abdul-Majeed, a supervisor of a shelter center in Karari locality, for his part, highlighted the importance of these therapeutic activities.
"These programs have a good psychological effect. Thanks to these volunteers, there has been a big change in the behavior of the children in the shelter center," Abdul-Majeed said.
Maha Abbaker, secretary of Khartoum State's Child Welfare Council, said that about 12,213 children now live in 167 shelter centers in Omdurman's Karari locality.
"These children need psychological support and educational activities to stimulate children's memory, in addition to the provision of food and nutritional supplements," Abbaker added.
