أهلي السودن

أفكاري

  • الحمل

    Something that I would never in a million years is have a child. But as I get older, I realize that this is an option for me. I’ve been integrated into the healthcare system in Canada, I no longer have to give birth in an ongoing humanitarian crisis. I don’t have to travel by foot or by donkey to visit a doctor, I can just hop on the bus (a car is in the works!) and go to the hospital if I go with an OB.

    There’s also aculture of midwives here if I so choose and I’m just learning about the work that doulas do too. Back home we have birth attendants, who are kinda like midwives here but with all the displacement it’s not like they’ve stuck around. 1.3 million babies were born in Sudan in 2024, but so much of those tiny lives are at risk. The best place to go back home would have been the Port Sudan hospital, usually they have about 15 deliveries a day, but the numbers have since doubled. It is not a safe place to even be as a human, and especially not as a pregnant woman.

    But بفضل الله I do not have to worry about that, I was learning about C-sections and birth preferences, as I am only used to babies coming out of bodies the ‘normal’ way. A lot of women say that if you give birth via c-section that your birth isn’t real, but how can that possibly be true when you still have to recover from growing an entire human being and then recover from surgery. All birth must be meaningful; it has to be.

    So now I need to make the decision if having children away from my homeland is something that I want to do or not. My mind is still not made up and then on top of it all I need to figure out the system here. I’ve even heard of people having babies at home here and that people think it’s weird. Ummmm that’s weird. People have babies in their home all the time back home. I think it’s a bit weird to have the process so medicalized, high-risk pregnancies aside. On that note I’m so grateful that I have access to the top ICU or NICUs here in Canada, for me or my community.

    How can one even think of bringing a baby into this world? It’s such a big thought and this world is so terrible. But life always finds a way.

  • !أهلا وسهلا ومرهبا بكم

    There is so much to say about Sudan that I don’t quite know where to start. We’ll start with some good news. Ever since Sudan’s second civil war which lead to the birth of South Sudan there has been so much ongoing conflict and political instability.

    About five months ago the first groups of Sudanese refugees started to arrive here in Canada under a family reunification program, which is amazing.

    The first flight brought 25 different women in Canda; the larges organized group thus far. They started their journey in port Sudan, then to Addis Abbaba, and then finally to Toronto and other Canadian destinations with the help from the United Nations migrations agency. الحمد الله

    The war between Sudan’s military and the Rapid Support Forces has killed an estimated 150,00 people and force about 12 million people to flee their homes. It’s considered one of the world’s largest displacement crisis and one of (yet another) worst humanitarian crises anywhere. And yet it’s so easy to forget about the suffering of those so far away, even when you’re apart of the community.

    Thankfully the federal government announced this family reunification program last December and there will be about 7,300 more Sudanese family member being brought to Canada, hopefully soon.

    Have you heard about the Sudanese Canadian Communities Association? The SCCA? They are an expat community that hopes to be the voice of the Sudanese Canadian Community. It’s goals are to coordinate, represent, and aid those both here and abroad. They are trying to be a trusted forum for the collaborative exchange of knowledge and information for their members. I know that they also petition the federal government to relocate more people more quickly from the crises back home.

    I know that this can be a touchy topic given the recent political environment here in Canada. I know that so many immigrants and refugees are suffering here. There was even a headline about asylum seekers sleeping on Toronto streets, read it here. This is really outrageous, and the federal government needs to step in and help quickly. I’m not sure why there were being relocated to Toronto since the largest population of Sudanese residents in Canda can be found in Alberta, Calgary and Edmonton.

    I for one could never leave Toronto, I just love the hustle and bustle of such a large city. But I totally understand why new immigrants would want to live close to others like them. Sometimes I feel ike the odd one out, I’m not too keen on keeping up with the traditions and cultural practices from back home. My goals are to study Chemistry and eventually go and get a PhD. Hopefully to start a family here too.

    Keep an eye out for more news!                            مع السلامة!