Student Stories

Hear from some of our funded university students on the impact their studies and WEP has had on their lives, as well as their hopes for the future…

I am Hawa Adam Dawood from Khartoum, and I study at Ahfad University for Women, in the School of Psychology. I am in my third year, with interest in special education at kindergarten level.

At the beginning my main difficulty was the English language. In time I set a goal to overcome the problem, and have made continuous improvement by reading and speaking a lot in English.   I aspire to prove to myself and to everyone around me that girls are able to make their own destiny and reach the highest levels of success. I want to leave my fingerprint in the field of special education, by giving girls the support they need to solve all their problems and to stand up for their rights in society.

In Sudan the main problem is society’s view of women as weak, their only role is to have children, raise them, and take care of the home. But today this female is able to make a difference in society, and this is what I found in the organisation and at Ahfad University for Women.

Finally, don’t seek encouragement from others, make up your own encouragement. Don’t wait for others to give you reason to do something, do it for yourself. No reason is greater than yourself, and no-one is more important than you.

My name is Samah Yousif, and I live in Omdurman, Ombada Al-Radmeia. I am in my third year at Ahfad University for Women, studying physiotherapy. My hobbies are gymnastic sport and basketball.

When I arrived at university I had a problem in writing, listening and understanding English. With university support and the efforts of the Khartoum International Community School programme I developed my English through the games we played. I listen to the students there more and more, and now I can watch English movies and understand them without translation.

In future I want to be a physiotherapist, and I hope to be one of the members of Women’s Education Partnership, because I’ll be very happy to stay with them and I like helping people to achieve their dreams.

In my view the main problems in Sudan are, firstly, food poverty – many families do not have enough food per day, which adversely affects their academic achievement or their jobs. Secondly, education and the way the students receive the information. Many schools hit the students, and in this case the students will receive the information just because they are afraid from hitting, not because they want to learn. Also, the schools are not provided with any tools that facilitate the learning process, such as computers and laboratories. Thirdly, the environment is not healthy, because of many bad habits, such as throwing garbage in the street, and dust from cars. Finally, I will serve my country by doing my job as a physiotherapist wholeheartedly, and I will make people aware of the importance of our environment.

I am from Bahri in Khartoum State, and I am in my first year at Ahfad University for Women, in the School of Rural Extension, Education and Development. My subjects are English, biology and Sudanese studies. My level of English on arrival was good, but now it is even better because Women’s Education Partnership organised classes at Khartoum International Community School. I am very grateful to it.

I am interested in sports, especially swimming. I love writing, whether it is stories, novels or others, and I love reading as well.

My plan after graduation is to work in an educational organization that raises awareness in people, especially women, and in particular helps those in the Sudanese countryside. I hope to find that opportunity and that job after I graduate.

Sudan is full of good things, but there are problems in health and education, and we have to improve Sudan’s economy in order to make progress.

I thank the Women’s Education Partnership very much for its interest in us in all respects. It helped us in our university courses. I also had a nice experience with it – I went out with it in an awareness campaign for Corona Virus in one of the regions in Khartoum. It was a very wonderful experience.

I am Ola Musa Ali, and I am in my third year at Ahfad University for Women, School of Health Sciences. I am now at Level 2 in English. Women’s Education Partnership has always believed in our abilities to achieve what we want, encouraged us to do better, and assured us that we can have a bright future.

I have been motivated to strive to achieve my goals and to be a strong woman. I plan to become a great physiotherapist in the future, and want to help children in the world to be well through my work.