"When I heard my family's voices again, I knew I wasn't alone anymore," says Nadia. When conflict erupted in Sudan in April 2023, thousands of families were forced to flee with little warning. Many became separated from loved ones, arriving in South Sudan without phones, money, or any way to let their families know they were safe.
Separated by war, reunited by a phone call
Refugees and returnees who reach South Sudan are safe, but many still carry the anxiety of not knowing where their loved ones are, or whether they also are safe. Many arrived without mobile phones, airtime, or money to call home, disconnected from family just when they needed them most.
Disconnected from their support networks, many describe feelings of uncertainty, isolation and the constant anxiety of being unable to confirm whether their families are safe, or to reassure them that they have reached South Sudan.
As one of the main border entry points into South Sudan, Renk County receives thousands of refugees and returnees. To address the urgent need for communication, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) set up the Family Connect Communication Hub at the Renk Transit Centre, providing physical phones, mobile service credit, and internet access to support displaced people in contacting family members from whom they were separated by conflict.
Finding family again
Nadia is one of the people who found their way back to their families. She fled Khartoum, Sudan, and arrived in South Sudan in July 2024 after losing her husband during the conflict.
"When we arrived here, we had no way of contacting our families,” she says. “We didn't know where they were, and we had no money to make phone calls. NRC introduced us to the Communication Hub, and for the first time since fleeing Sudan, I was able to speak to my family.”
Using the Communication Hub, Nadia reconnected with relatives living in both Khartoum and Libya.
"They were surprised to hear my voice.” she says. “They kept asking how I managed to contact them. I told them NRC made it possible."
For Nadia, the call meant far more than an exchange of news. After months of not knowing, it brought reassurance that her family was safe.
Peace of mind after uncertainty
Abdallah, a South Sudanese returnee, also arrived in Renk after fleeing the violence in Sudan.
"When the conflict started, everything happened so suddenly,” he says. “We fled without carrying anything. When I reached Renk, NRC welcomed me and supported me during one of the hardest moments of my life.”
Through the hub, Abdallah located and spoke with a family member in Nyala, Sudan, and reconnected with relatives in South Sudan, too. "Now I know where my family is, and they know I am safe. That has given me peace of mind," he says.
More than a phone call
For thousands of refugees and returnees passing through Renk, the Communication Hub has become more than a place to make a phone call or get online. It serves as a critical protection service that restores family links, reduces anxiety and helps people make informed decisions about their future.
With support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Family Connect project has put phones, credit and internet access into the hands of people whose first, most urgent need after fleeing was simply hearing that their families were safe.
Sign up to our newsletter to read more stories from around the world.
