Since the outbreak of conflict in 2023, communities in Khartoum State have faced widespread violence, displacement and loss of livelihoods. Families have been uprooted, children exposed to life-threatening events, protection risks and health services disruption, creating significant barriers to accessing care. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that up to 22.1% of people in conflict-affected settings experience a mental disorder at any given time.
Amid this crisis, International Medical Corps, with generous support from the European Union, has been delivering facility and community-based mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services in Khartoum since 2023. These include individual counselling, family and community group support, awareness-raising sessions and psychological first aid (PFA) for people in distress.
Through these efforts, International Medical Corps promotes recovery and well-being for people with mental health and psychosocial challenges while strengthening community resilience and ensuring that health systems and communities are equipped to respond to growing psychosocial needs.
In July 2025, International Medical Corps, with generous support from the European Union, organised a transformative PFA training for health staff and community leaders in Khartoum State. Held from July 20–22, the training equipped participants with essential skills to provide immediate and compassionate support to people experiencing distress during crises.
Among the trainees was Khojali Araki Khojali, whose personal journey became a source of inspiration for everyone present. For two years, Khojali described himself as a survivor, someone who had endured immense emotional and psychological hardship as conflict and displacement disrupted daily life in Sudan. Yet, by the end of the training, his words carried a new sense of identity and empowerment.
“I used to be a survivor. Now, I am a psychological first aid provider.”
— Khojali Araki Khojali
What made Khojali’s transformation remarkable was not only the skills he acquired but also how he embraced them. During role-play sessions, he demonstrated empathy, attentiveness and resilience—practising active listening and crisis-response techniques with a partner who shared her own difficult experiences. He stepped into both roles, survivor and helper, bridging lived experience with newly gained knowledge. His natural compassion and ability to engage others moved the entire group.
Khojali’s impact went beyond his own learning. He actively participated in group discussions, asked insightful questions and shared personal reflections that deepened everyone’s understanding of psychological support. Perhaps most powerfully, he encouraged quieter participants to step forward and practice, creating an atmosphere of trust and mutual learning.
By the end of the training, it was clear that Khojali was not just a participant but a natural PFA provider and peer supporter, ready to take his skills back to his community.
Stories like Khojali’s highlight why PFA is essential in Sudan’s current crisis. PFA goes beyond technical knowledge—it empowers people to rewrite their own narratives, transforming pain into purpose and survivors into leaders. By training health staff and community leaders in Khartoum, the project is building a stronger network of local responders who can provide compassionate, lifesaving mental health and psychosocial support to those most affected by conflict, displacement and disease outbreaks.
This initiative was made possible through the partnership of International Medical Corps and the European Union, who are committed to ensuring that communities not only survive crises but also regain hope, dignity and resilience.
