Manal Ahmed Al Awad, originally from Sudan, knows what it means to keep moving.

For years, she and her five-year-old daughter, Ifa, were caught in a cycle of uncertainty. Fleeing conflict, they found temporary safety in Rwanda at the Gashora Transit Centre, a camp meant to help people escaping crises in Libya and Burundi. There, they spent two years waiting and hoping for a better future.

With CWS’s help, Manal and Ifa are settling into their new life. “Our case manager is helping us with all errands, shopping and learning the bus system in the area we live,” Manal explained.

But life in the U.S. hasn’t erased the pain of the past. Manal’s thoughts often drift back to Sudan, where her parents and siblings remain. The war has made communication almost impossible. Her family has to walk miles just to find a phone signal to call her. “The situation in Sudan is really bad,” she shared. “It makes me sleepless knowing that my family is living through the current war.”

Additionally, her brother and husband are in Libya after fleeing Sudan. “Things for them in Libya are also difficult. I worry for them a lot,” she said. Despite these challenges, Manal remains hopeful. “I am willing to work on anything. I am here to do any work available. My hope eventually is to go to school and become a nurse,” she said, aiming to support both her daughter and her family caught up in the conflict in Sudan.