It was a heartbreaking reminder

10th April 2025

It was a heartbreaking reminder as I listened to a news reporter interview a gravedigger in Sudan, describing the relentless demand to bury the dead. His phone jingled, interrupting his words—another customer waiting.

In 2011, I visited South Sudan to report on its independence with Oxfam International. I pitched a story called The Journey Home, and only now, as I begin a new project under the same name, do I fully grasp how many meanings home holds for us all. A sanctuary. A refuge. A familiar, warming nest that carries deep, personal relief. A belonging. A place we yearn to return to—where we feel safe and whole.

I photographed people returning from the Western world (New York, London…) and the north of Sudan, each bringing their own beds. It was my first eye-opening encounter with the harsh realities of lives shaped by war. The greatest lesson I learned was that the strongest emotion we hold is hope.

For many, the hope of returning home carried them through unimaginable hardship—through death, disease, and loss. We met orphans and those on their death bed. An entire camp of dying Cholera victims, in their final days surrounded by the belongings they were able to carry from the North. Many lost their children and families.

One part of our trip that did bring a positive outlook was a visit to a school. All of the female students were excelling at carpentry, mechanics and electrical engineering. Education is the ingredient of hope.

As I look at these images from 14 years ago I wonder where these incredible women are and if this school exists.

Today, despite the desperate situation in Sudan, I still hold onto hope that one day there will be peace.