---
title: "From sleeping under trees to having a home"
description: "For 40-year-old Arek, mother of ten, returning to South Sudan was meant to mark the beginning of a safer life. Instead, it became another chapter in a long struggle for survival."
url: "https://www.nrc.no/perspectives/2026/from-sleeping-under-trees-to-having-a-home"
language: "en"
published: "2026-10-21T11:06:40Z"
modified: "2026-10-21T11:06:40Z"
---

# From sleeping under trees to having a home

Arek in front of her home. Photo: Damian Doggalle/NRC

For 40-year-old Arek, mother of ten, returning to South Sudan was meant to mark the beginning of a safer life. Instead, it became another chapter in a long struggle for survival.

By **Damian Doggalle** Published 21. Oct 2026

[South Sudan](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=103)

Like thousands of families displaced by the conflict in Sudan, Arek was forced to flee with her children, leaving behind everything they owned. The journey to South Sudan was difficult and dangerous. For days, the family slept under trees as they travelled toward safety, enduring hunger, exhaustion and uncertainty. Along the way, armed groups robbed them of nearly all their belongings.

Upon arriving in Gockdeng Payam, Arek hoped her family's hardships would finally come to an end. However, without a home or resources, they once again found themselves sleeping under trees. Exposed to heavy rains, flooding, and mosquito-infested surroundings, her children frequently fell ill with malaria and other infections.

"Living under a tree in Gockdeng was one of the most challenging moments for my family,” she recalls. “My children were always sick with malaria and bacterial infections, I can’t count the number of times I had to take them to hospital for treatment and because of our situation, it was very difficult for us to pay hospital bills.”

Life without shelter left Arek constantly worried about the safety and wellbeing of her children. During the flooding season, she often had to leave in search of food, unsure whether her children would remain safe while she was away.

Relatives eventually offered the family temporary accommodation in their *rakuba* (traditional shelter). While the gesture provided some relief, the shelter was overcrowded and unable to accommodate all ten children. As a result, several of her children had to spend their nights with neighbouring families.

Arek’s house within her relatives' compound. Photo: Damian Doggalle/NRC

"Although I appreciated the kindness of our neighbours, I was always worried about my children because they were scattered in different homes every night," she explains.

After two years of displacement and uncertainty, Arek finally had a chance to rebuild her life. Following an assessment that identified her family's shelter needs, NRC, with funding from the South Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SSHF), provided cash and shelter assistance. The support enabled Arek and her family to make their own bricks and construct a new home.

"Now, my children will not have to sleep in neighbours' houses anymore because we have our own shelter," Arek says with relief.

The assistance also gave Arek an opportunity to invest in her family's future.

"I used part of the money to make bricks for the shelter, and I was able to use some of the remaining amount to enrol two of my children in school, one in class 3 and another in class 2. I used part of it to buy food for my family as well," she explains.

Today, Arek’s family lives with a greater sense of safety and stability. What was once a life spent sleeping in the open and relying on the generosity of others has been transformed. They now have a safe place to call home, renewed security, and a stronger foundation on which to build their future.

Thanks to the support of the South Sudan Humanitarian Fund, families like Arek's are moving beyond displacement and uncertainty toward safety and resilience.

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## More on

[#Cash and voucher](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=138) [#Shelter and settlements](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=162)