Mohamed Ahmed, who fled Sudan’s war with his family and sought refuge in Chad, has become head teacher at a school in a refugee camp. An Al Jazeera report says he began his new life as a refugee while confronting questions about rebuilding in an unfamiliar environment and securing a future for children displaced by the conflict. He found many children had been separated from education by war and displacement.

Ahmed began efforts to reconnect children with learning amid severe shortages of schools, teachers and educational materials. His initiative gradually expanded, and he later joined a camp school, where his experience and interest in education led to his appointment as head teacher. For thousands of families fleeing Sudan’s war, education remains a major challenge, with many children unable to attend school for long periods.

As head teacher, Ahmed oversees instruction and works to help children recover from the psychological impact of war and displacement and return to more normal lives. Language barriers, unfamiliar surroundings, poverty and a shortage of teachers further complicate schooling. Chad’s refugee camps host large numbers of Sudanese refugees, many of them children and adolescents, making education an important part of humanitarian support alongside food, healthcare and shelter.