In focus: World Refugee Day — Women and girls in crisis
Reflection written by Abi Conway, World Vision International
I slept on a delivery bed in a maternity ward in Southern Darfur. It was the only place to sleep.
In the middle of the night, I woke to mothers screaming through childbirth. This is Feina camp, in the mountains of Jebel Marra — one of the most remote places I have ever been, and right now a refuge for 40,000 people who fled Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after the fall of El Fasher and ZamZam Camp.
They are living in makeshift homes of rock and mud on the volcanic inclines, hungry and cut off from the world, with no health facilities and aid that can barely reach them through the terrain. Women tell their stories on every corner — physical and sexual violence, death, the journey that brought them here. This is Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM)-controlled territory, a pocket of the mountains the RSF has not yet reached — but the people here know how fragile that is.
The rainy season is coming. With it: landslides, rising disease, wadis that will cut the last supply routes, and newborns in shelters that won't hold.
I will never forget this place, or the people I met here.
Women and girls in Sudan are experiencing the worst forms of violence — and most are forced to keep going, because they are the backbone of everything. They are the mothers of hungry children. The wives of husbands who have been killed. The daughters thrust into responsibilities that surpass their years.
I met hundreds of women, and each one left something in me that doesn't leave at night. Tears were shed in their tents as we sat for hours, listening. When I write, I try to end with hope — but I've come to believe that truth is more powerful. Sudanese women are resilient. But resilience is not the same as safety, and they are living in a reality stripped of both.
World Vision Project Coordinator for Protection, Siham, in Feina, Eastern Jebel Marra.
In places this isolated, World Vision reaches people in ways that still surprise me. Siham is a protection officer in Feina — which means she has spoken to nearly every woman who has come into this camp. Every day, she walks the mountain paths, meeting women, hearing their stories, making sure that when supplies do make it through, the right people receive them.
What struck me most: two newborn babies in the camp are now named Siham. Their mothers chose that name because of what she has meant to them. This is what World Vision's presence looks like here — not from a distance, but walking alongside these women, day by day, up and down the mountain.
"The camp is slowly becoming filled with small Sihams," she told me on one of those walks. "This is what motivates me to keep going."
Sudan now holds the tragic distinction of having the highest number of internally displaced people in the world. Approximately 7 million children have been forced from their homes, creating the world’s largest child displacement emergency and leaving families in urgent need of safety, food, shelter, and healthcare.
World Vision is actively responding in Sudan and neighboring countries affected by the ongoing conflict. Since launching our scaled response in 2023, we have reached more than 5.5 million people — most of them women and children — with lifesaving support including food assistance, health and nutrition services, clean water, sanitation, and child protection.
Abi Conway
Emergency Communications Specialist
World Vision International
Partner spotlight:Hope is one of my favorite words
Reflection written by Strong Women Strong World Council Member, Pati Frey
In my travels with World Vision in Africa, hope is abundant.
Villagers sing and dance when they greet us. Mothers are full of hope for their children, communities, and future. Water is the game changer, as they thrive attending school, growing crops and starting businesses.
Hope is not a word I would use in visiting informal and formal refugee camps. I visited camps in Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, and Bangladesh. Safety is the most important word for the people I met. Families had to leave their homes and communities searching for a place to live escaping from conflict and persecution. I listened to their stories; they will stay with me forever.
Mothers and children found comfort being reunited and most of the men stayed behind to fight or were killed. Mothers created a new normal for the family.
At the camps life seemed to go on — mothers created shops, organized playgroups, schools, enjoying food and medical attention. Life seemed to continue.
14-year-old Amera
Then, I met Amera, she was 14 years old in a camp in Lebanon. An informal camp is made up of tents, no running water, no real organization. The people were on the run.
There was no hope, just safety. Amera was 14 and lived in a tent with her mother and siblings. Amera had not attended school in seven years. I worried about her future and the life she would lead. Life seemed stalled.
I left with a sadness I could not relinquish. 17 years is the average time spent in a refugee camp. I saw the people going nowhere. I often wonder about Amera. I hoped she would be able to leave the camp and go to school and live a full life.
I found comfort in the ability to fund a school in her area through World Vision. My wish — someday she may have a future filled with hope.
Check out the 2026 World Refugee Day video below.
Research update:The results are in!
A few months ago, we invited you to participate in the Women, Wealth, and Faith research study. There are three smaller reports available now, and a full executive report that is being released in July! Click on the image to explore the results yourself!
You can also watch recordings of the webinar series as they are released. What to expect from the webinars:
Key findings from the latest phase of the research
Insights on the intersection of faith, wealth, and generosity
Real-world implications for women, families, and communities
Special guest speakers bringing expert and lived perspectives
The final webinar in the series is on September 15, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. ET. Visit womenwealthandfaith.org to learn more and to register.
Ways to take action
Save the date!December 4, 2026 — Strong Women Strong World | NYC A powerful day of storytelling, peer connection, and a closer look at the programs that are helping to drive change for women and girls worldwide. More information to follow soon!
Lend your voice (and your email): Join the World Vision Advocates — a community of ordinary people who desire to follow God's call to seek justice! Visit World Vision Advocacy to learn more.
Engage on social media: We're moving our socials! You can find SWSW and Big Dream to End Child Marriage content on our World Vision accounts. Be sure to follow along on Instagram and Facebook!
World Vision's Strong Women Strong World®
helps keep girls and women at the center of global community development, advocacy,
and emergency response work. Together, we can continue making a difference
in the lives of women and girls and accelerate communities’ progress out of poverty.
