UNICEF Spotlights Mothers and Frontline Workers Fighting to Protect Children in Darfur Camps
In Golo Jadeeda, Central Darfur, the resilience and compassion of mothers and frontline workers are creating lifelines for children whose lives have been upended by conflict, according to UNICEF.
Following violent clashes in Al Fasher, thousands of families fled to displacement camps in Tawila and Golo, arriving traumatized, hungry, and often with severely malnourished children. Many children arrived with life-threatening conditions, including severe acute malnutrition and Kwashiorkor, highlighting the urgent need for protection, care, and nutrition support.
At the heart of the response is the Golo Jadeeda Health Centre, supported by UNICEF and implemented by Save the Children. The centre provides integrated health, nutrition, and mental health services, addressing both the physical and psychosocial needs of displaced children and their mothers.
Mothers themselves are playing a critical role, forming circles of care for one another while also ensuring their children receive the treatment and support they need. Fadeela, a mother of five, explains that when she counsels other mothers, she imagines her own daughter in their place, demonstrating the deep empathy driving this cycle of care.
Frontline workers, many of whom are mothers, carry both their own struggles and those of the families they serve. Arafa Abdel Mawla registers mothers and children daily while carrying her own baby on her back. Health and psychosocial officers emphasize that children cannot thrive if their mothers are traumatized, underscoring the interdependence of child protection and maternal wellbeing.
The dedication of these women and men ensures that children’s rights to survival, nutrition, health, and protection are upheld even under extreme conditions. Through nutrition screening, medical care, and psychosocial support, children like Mustafa, a baby who arrived severely malnourished, are given a chance to survive and grow.
The courage and compassion of mothers and frontline workers in Golo Jadeeda, highlighted by UNICEF, exemplify the power of community-driven child protection. Their efforts show that even in displacement, every child’s right to life and safety can be defended, but continued global support is essential to sustain these lifesaving interventions.
This story underscores the extraordinary commitment of mothers and humanitarian workers in safeguarding the survival and development of children in crisis, as documented by UNICEF.
