My happiness is indescribable , girls survived and women are capable of making change.

Before the war in Sudan, I worked with women and children in providing services to survivors of violence, as well as advocacy campaigns, raising public awareness, and empowering the environment that protects human rights.

The war came to Khartoum and I was displaced with my family to a city far from the armed conflict in the south.

Life was different from what I was used to. People were simple and kind, and they treated us as if we were the displaced, with great hospitality and generosity. Also, wedding days were held, and I was surprised every time that the bride was a girl   child, or that there was a celebration as is customary in Sudanese homes, but on the occasion of the circumcision of a girl  child, my heart ached severely every time, especially since the people see it as part of their authentic customs based on custom and religion, and they do not accept discussion, especially from a stranger like me ,while the  schools are closed and the girls are on vacation.

I thought a lot about how to protect these little girls. There must be a solution. I noticed that the women there meet every day at noon in one of the houses to drink coffee with its rituals, incense, nuts, sweets, and other things. It was a good opportunity to choose some women who could listen to me and start talking, convincing, and discussing. The path was thorny, and the excuses were many and the arguments were complex, but with time and perseverance, I was able to convince five influential women in their surroundings and they came by my side. In order to provide them with information in a complete, clear, and scientific manner, I held a serious training workshop for several days for them in one of the houses. They enjoyed and were amazed by the PowerPoint presentations and the experiences with the surviving girls that we dealt with.

Through the coffee sessions, these women became a nucleus of awareness for the rights of girls. They also communicated with local initiatives and associations to celebrate the Day of the Girl Child last year. I left the city and was in contact with them and thanks to their efforts, five  girl child marriages were stopped and their families were convinced. Also, eleven girl child circumcisions were prevented and they are still working for the sake of the girls. My happiness is indescribable that these girls survived and that women are capable of making a change.