Help Shahd Escape War in Sudan

Dear Community, I am making this important GoFundMe for my good friend Shahd, a 26 year old black Sudanese woman who needs your help to survive and escape genocide in Sudan. Given that she has gone through copious amounts of displacement, gender based violence, health issues and many other awful things, it is important that we, as Sudanese allies, not only listen to her story, but help her by donating and sharing.

I met Shahd in a psychiatric institution in Egypt in the beginning of 2023. While we were both confined there for false reasons by abusive caretakers, Shahd was not only medically but also physically abused by the staff. She suffered physical abuse due to anti-blackness. Despite this, she was my rock, offering a sense of solace. After being released from the institute in Spring 2023, Shahd had to return to Sudan to care for her sick mother who has had to undergo several surgeries.

Since the war erupted in Sudan, 12.5 million Sudanese people have been displaced, up to 150,000 people have been martyred, and 25.6 million Sudanese people living in Sudan are facing critical food insecurity with the entire country experiencing extreme shortages in water, food, fuel, and medicine.

When the war broke out, Shahd was close to completing her higher education, with goals of becoming an elementary school teacher. However, the violence tore up her home and overall livelihood. With hospitals no longer functioning and unsafe streets, Shahd not only developed a sense of terror mentally, but also fell physically ill multiple times. Since birth, Shahd has had a minor heart failure condition and had to get heart surgery as a young child. All of the stresses she’s been experiencing have terribly impacted her heart condition and overall health. She contracted malaria last year 2024 in Sudan, which she had to battle with near death due to very limited access to health care.

After somewhat recovering, Shahd and her mother were forced to flee their native land to the UAE in May 2024. With no legal rights or status as refugees, no proper source of income or overall stability, Shahd was at severe risk in the UAE and even had to sleep on the streets and at parks since there are very few operating shelters for unhoused people in the UAE. Last fall, a gang of local men drugged and kidnapped Shahd and abused her physically, sexually, and mentally. This resulted in an unwanted pregnancy that she was luckily able to abort with help from the organization Women on the Web, however she was still in a lot of pain due to the lack of painkillers and was extremely scared going through this alone. The names of those men are Mohamed Hassan, Azoo Hassan, and Ahmed Ozmil. Shahd still needs and deserves justice from these men. The UAE police even had to get involved to rescue her from these men - some of which were illegally employing her and withholding her pay. This is the sad reality for Sudanese refugees trying to survive in the UAE, a country directly involved in funding the genocide in Sudan. This abuse was so extreme that it caused a relapse with her heart failure and after escaping those men she was hospitalized for 2 weeks, again nearly dying from the life threatening circumstances that were forced upon her.

Shortly after being released from hospital care, Shahd and her mother were forced to leave the UAE due no financial support or housing. In March 2025, Shahd and her mother had no option but to return to Sudan which is an active war zone where young women like herself are severely targeted. Her return to Sudan has put her in a lot of constant danger by the murderous rebel groups and lack of stability in the country. She continues to suffer from malnutrition, sexual abuse, lack of freedom, poverty, severe depression, and trauma. Because of all these factors, her health is unfortunately extremely compromised and she has contracted malaria for the second time. She had to go into debt just to access life saving medications and is currently trying to heal as best as she can.

Shahd, her mother, pregnant sister and many other close family members are still stuck in Shendi, Sudan where they are constantly threatened by the presence of armed troops and bombings. Our goal is to help Shahd seek refuge in Canada, where I’m currently residing. Due to the extreme restrictions for refugees migrating to Canada, we are prioritizing helping Shahd relocate to Egypt for now until we can bring her to Toronto. Don’t let Shahd’s suffering be in vain; she deserves safety and to live her best life. It is important that we empathize with Shahd’s story and do everything we can to help, so please donate and share, anything helps when we all work together.

We are currently trying to raise $20,000 to relocate Shahd to Egypt. Due to the war and many people needing to escape, drivers and border patrol are charging very high rates to bring Sudanese refugees into Egypt. Shahd also needs support to pay for basic living needs such as food, medications, water, and clothing.

You can donate to help Shahd by donating to this GoFundMe, or send funds by e-transfer to contactrealchange at gmail.com or paypal @444realchange with a note "Shahd"

We have a signal support group chat with Shahd to help her navigate everything. Please reach out to us to join the support team. Our instagram is @444realchange and our email is contactrealchange at gmail.com

#FreeSudan