Adil Mustafa Hamdan, 21, is a student at the Soba Secondary Refugee School. He was one of 21 students selected to take a digital storytelling course through the UN Refugee Agency project. Like many of the students that graduated from the course, he aspires to be a photojournalist.<br />"I would go to the Nuba Mountains and photograph people with no clothes, no shoes; I'd photograph soldiers while they are fighting; I'd photograph airplanes that drop bombs. I would show through my photos and explain through my stories the situation in the Nuba Mountains," he says.
From refugees to photojournalists —
Adil Mustafa Hamdan, 21, is a student at the Soba Secondary Refugee School. He was one of 21 students selected to take a digital storytelling course through the UN Refugee Agency project. Like many of the students that graduated from the course, he aspires to be a photojournalist.
"I would go to the Nuba Mountains and photograph people with no clothes, no shoes; I'd photograph soldiers while they are fighting; I'd photograph airplanes that drop bombs. I would show through my photos and explain through my stories the situation in the Nuba Mountains," he says.
Photo courtesy UNHCR
<br />"What do you want?"<br />"I just want there to always be enough food."<br />"Why are you laughing?"<br />"Because I am very satisfied now."
Portfolio: Adil Mustafa Hamdan —

"What do you want?"
"I just want there to always be enough food."
"Why are you laughing?"
"Because I am very satisfied now."
Adil Mustafa Hamdan
<br />"What do you want to be when you grow up?<br />"A hunter."<br />"What do you want to hunt?"<br />"I want to hunt gazelles, monkeys, hawks and other animals that you find in the bush.<br />"What is the hardest thing about hunting?"<br />"When you get caught by the police."
Portfolio: Adil Mustafa Hamdan —

"What do you want to be when you grow up?
"A hunter."
"What do you want to hunt?"
"I want to hunt gazelles, monkeys, hawks and other animals that you find in the bush.
"What is the hardest thing about hunting?"
"When you get caught by the police."
Adil Mustafa Hamdan
<br />"I left the Nuba Mountains because of the war in '83. At that time, we left in a group of 57 people. Only nine of us survived the journey. I was the youngest, only seven years old. <br />One day, my father was very sick and he began to tell me the names of all of my uncles. When he finished he died. I stayed for seven more years until the people signed a peace agreement, which was in 2005. <br />I said to myself, let me see what will happen. After six years I prepared to go back to my homeland, but when I was about to start my journey the war broke out. I thought, 'I'll never see my family. I will die as my father died.' <br />Then people began to arrive from the Nuba Mountains to the camp. The first person I spoke to turned out to be my uncle. It was the best moment of my life. This is why I am happy. Because I have found my relatives."<br /><em>Khalid Idriss, refugee since 1985</em>
Portfolio: Adil Mustafa Hamdan —

"I left the Nuba Mountains because of the war in '83. At that time, we left in a group of 57 people. Only nine of us survived the journey. I was the youngest, only seven years old.
One day, my father was very sick and he began to tell me the names of all of my uncles. When he finished he died. I stayed for seven more years until the people signed a peace agreement, which was in 2005.
I said to myself, let me see what will happen. After six years I prepared to go back to my homeland, but when I was about to start my journey the war broke out. I thought, 'I'll never see my family. I will die as my father died.'
Then people began to arrive from the Nuba Mountains to the camp. The first person I spoke to turned out to be my uncle. It was the best moment of my life. This is why I am happy. Because I have found my relatives."
Khalid Idriss, refugee since 1985
Adil Mustafa Hamdan
Aziz Hassan Eidiie was born in 1990 in the Nuba village of Kauda. When war broke out in his home in 2011, he had to stop his schooling. He was able to resume it at the Soba Secondary School. Many of his photographs focus on the lives of the young men inside the camp. <br />"I am happy to have become a photographer, because this was one of my dreams," he says.<br />"I hope that God may help me learn more and more about journalism so I can put it into practice."
From refugees to photojournalists —
Aziz Hassan Eidiie was born in 1990 in the Nuba village of Kauda. When war broke out in his home in 2011, he had to stop his schooling. He was able to resume it at the Soba Secondary School. Many of his photographs focus on the lives of the young men inside the camp.
"I am happy to have become a photographer, because this was one of my dreams," he says.
"I hope that God may help me learn more and more about journalism so I can put it into practice."
Courtesy UNHCR
<br />"This is Abraham Jojo, an 18-year old refugee student from Kauda in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan. He is here in Ajuong Thok without his parents. His aim is simply to study. On the weekends, he makes and bakes bread to sell it in the market to earn money to support himself. Even with all of these challenges, he still perseveres with his studies."
Portfolio: Aziz Hassan Eidiie —

"This is Abraham Jojo, an 18-year old refugee student from Kauda in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan. He is here in Ajuong Thok without his parents. His aim is simply to study. On the weekends, he makes and bakes bread to sell it in the market to earn money to support himself. Even with all of these challenges, he still perseveres with his studies."
Aziz Hassan Eidiie
<br />"These four boys live alone on their compound with nobody to help them cook, clean, fetch water and firewood. They usually cooperate and get along to work together. They've planted pumpkins on their compound that are now ready for harvest."
Portfolio: Aziz Hassan Eidiie —

"These four boys live alone on their compound with nobody to help them cook, clean, fetch water and firewood. They usually cooperate and get along to work together. They've planted pumpkins on their compound that are now ready for harvest."
Aziz Hassan Eidiie
Awatif Kawaja Matile is 20 years old. Education has always been very important to her. At ten, she walked long distances to attend her primary school. Later, she attended a private school, where she lived without her parents."I struggled because I didn't have their financial support to help me buy clothes, shoes and other materials," she admits. <br />When the war broke out in 2011, she made her way to the Ajuong Thok Refugee Camp so that she could continue her studies. "Being in school is an opportunity to learn, and to change your life from bad to better," she says, though she admits she doesn't view education as a cure-all. "It doesn't mean that you will have a comfortable life; you may face challenges and problems, but education makes you a better person in the future. You must think and reason wisely," she says.As a participant in the project, she focused a lot on the everyday struggles of families in the camp.
From refugees to photojournalists —
Awatif Kawaja Matile is 20 years old. Education has always been very important to her. At ten, she walked long distances to attend her primary school. Later, she attended a private school, where she lived without her parents."I struggled because I didn't have their financial support to help me buy clothes, shoes and other materials," she admits.
When the war broke out in 2011, she made her way to the Ajuong Thok Refugee Camp so that she could continue her studies. "Being in school is an opportunity to learn, and to change your life from bad to better," she says, though she admits she doesn't view education as a cure-all. "It doesn't mean that you will have a comfortable life; you may face challenges and problems, but education makes you a better person in the future. You must think and reason wisely," she says.As a participant in the project, she focused a lot on the everyday struggles of families in the camp.
Courtesy UNHCR
<br />"She brought water from a distance, until she was tired. That is why she is resting. Water is fetched for cooking and keeping homes clean. But the problem is that people need bigger jerry cans, these small ones don't help much."
Portfolio: Awatif Kawaja Matile —

"She brought water from a distance, until she was tired. That is why she is resting. Water is fetched for cooking and keeping homes clean. But the problem is that people need bigger jerry cans, these small ones don't help much."
Awatif Kawaja Matile
<br />"This refugee family in Ajuong Thok is worried. They are thinking about the people that they left behind in the Nuba Mountains. Life in Ajuong Thok is very difficult for single mothers. If she needs to go to collect firewood or water, who will look after her child?"
Portfolio: Awatif Kawaja Matile —

"This refugee family in Ajuong Thok is worried. They are thinking about the people that they left behind in the Nuba Mountains. Life in Ajuong Thok is very difficult for single mothers. If she needs to go to collect firewood or water, who will look after her child?"
Awatif Kawaja Matile
Richard Kunar is 25 years old. He, too, had to stop his schooling when war broke out. He trekked for five days to reach the Yida refugee camp in South Sudan. He ultimately moved to Ajuonk Thok, where he lives alone.
From refugees to photojournalists —
Richard Kunar is 25 years old. He, too, had to stop his schooling when war broke out. He trekked for five days to reach the Yida refugee camp in South Sudan. He ultimately moved to Ajuonk Thok, where he lives alone.
Courtesy UNHCR
<br />"My name is James Bond, and I'm from South Kordofan, a state with beautiful resources. I am 17, and I am only here in South Sudan because the war displaced me from home. I decided to keep this sheep in hopes that it will produce two or four or more, so that I can get married. Even though I live alone, it's no problem for me. As the book of Ecclesiastes says, there is time for everything."
Portfolio: Richard Kunar —

"My name is James Bond, and I'm from South Kordofan, a state with beautiful resources. I am 17, and I am only here in South Sudan because the war displaced me from home. I decided to keep this sheep in hopes that it will produce two or four or more, so that I can get married. Even though I live alone, it's no problem for me. As the book of Ecclesiastes says, there is time for everything."
Richard Kunar
Roda Tia Hamdan was pulled out of school as a young girl, because she needed to take care of her cousin."Even though I wanted to continue my education, my uncle wouldn't let me, because I was a babysitter," she recalls. At 11 years old, she started cutting grass to earn money for school fees, but soon afterward her education was stalled again due to the conflict in the Nuba Mountains. "I dared to continue my studies as a refugee," she says. Like many in Ajuong Thok refugee camp, she arrived solo, without her parents. <br />"I went to live with my friend so that I wouldn't have to live alone," she says.
From refugees to photojournalists —
Roda Tia Hamdan was pulled out of school as a young girl, because she needed to take care of her cousin."Even though I wanted to continue my education, my uncle wouldn't let me, because I was a babysitter," she recalls. At 11 years old, she started cutting grass to earn money for school fees, but soon afterward her education was stalled again due to the conflict in the Nuba Mountains. "I dared to continue my studies as a refugee," she says. Like many in Ajuong Thok refugee camp, she arrived solo, without her parents.
"I went to live with my friend so that I wouldn't have to live alone," she says.
Courtesy UNHCR
<br />"The babysitter is surprised to be photographed. The mother is denying this young girl the right to education by having her look after her little sister."
Portfolio: Roda Tia Hamdan —

"The babysitter is surprised to be photographed. The mother is denying this young girl the right to education by having her look after her little sister."
Roda Tia Hamdan
Tutu Al-Hamar Tutu is a 24-year old student at Soba Secondary School in Ajuong Thok. "Photography isn't simply something I want to do in Ajuon Thok; I want to go further and take photos of the conflict in Sudan," he says.
From refugees to photojournalists —
Tutu Al-Hamar Tutu is a 24-year old student at Soba Secondary School in Ajuong Thok. "Photography isn't simply something I want to do in Ajuon Thok; I want to go further and take photos of the conflict in Sudan," he says.
Courtesy UNHCR
<br />"A young Nuban boy grazes his sheep in Ajuong Thok Refugee Camp. Nubans are famous for keeping cattle wherever they go. When there is conflict or war, people cannot keep animals. Ajuong Thok is a peaceful place where we can keep our animals safe."
Portfolio: Tutu Al-Hamar Tutu —

"A young Nuban boy grazes his sheep in Ajuong Thok Refugee Camp. Nubans are famous for keeping cattle wherever they go. When there is conflict or war, people cannot keep animals. Ajuong Thok is a peaceful place where we can keep our animals safe."
Tutu Al-Hamar Tutu