The flood of a lifetime

Maryam, a 40-year-old widow, just survived her third flood. This one was the worst.

In the summer of 2021, Sudan experienced widespread flooding due to heavy rains in half of the states in the country. Within an hour, all of the houses in Maryam’s neighborhood were ruined, including her own.

They tried to salvage what few items they had by bringing their belongings to stores on the mainland for safekeeping, but the stores had also already been destroyed.

After living through several floods, the financial and mental cost is taking a toll on Maryam, but she remains thankful her five children are still alive. 

“I moved to my new house in July, only two months before the flood. I can take shelter anywhere, even under a tree, but children are irreplaceable and that’s why I am grateful they are alive.” 

After this most recent disaster, Maryam and her family were left without food, shelter and a latrine. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic just made things worse. Islamic Relief stepped in, delivering hygiene kits, COVID-19 PPE and kitchen utensils. 

“Islamic Relief have made us happy. I thank them for their efforts,” she says.