Khartoum American School student mural. (Photo source: Shahinaz Eltayeb)
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Due to the horrendous conflict in Sudan, the Khartoum American School (KAS) community is now scattered throughout the globe but remains committed to education for all our students.
On the morning of April 15, with no advance warning, armed confrontations between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began in Khartoum. Within days, the city was in the midst of a full-scale conflict with rocket and missile attacks, constant gunfire, and airstrikes. One KAS teacher sustained an injury when a stray bullet entered her apartment and struck her foot. After eight days of taking cover in school residences and then a hotel, thanks to the French government, KAS overseas faculty were evacuated to Djibouti. The majority of the local faculty are now also outside Sudan, most having relocated to Egypt. Our minds and hearts are with those staff members and students still in Sudan where the situation continues to worsen every day.
We will soon launch a fundraising campaign to support our local staff (guards, cleaners, drivers, and maintenance staff) who have acted heroically throughout this crisis. They kept our residences and campus safe in the most challenging circumstances. In one special circumstance, Ali Noah, one of the drivers, succeeded in moving our faculty across the city safely when other organizations were unable to do so.
KAS students are now, from locations inside and outside Sudan, reconnecting with their teachers and classmates for academic as well as social-emotional learning. For our high school students, we are grateful to schools across the world for facilitating them taking Advanced Placement exams. KAS Grade 12 students will not have the graduation they had planned, but they are excited to share a virtual graduation ceremony at the International School of Uganda. These are just a few beautiful examples of the importance and power of community, demonstrating the ways international schools can come together to support our students during difficult and dangerous times. We are grateful to receive psychological support for our faculty and students from a range of sources, and we will continue to make this a priority over the coming months.
The KAS leadership and board is surveying parents and creatively planning how we can continue education for our learning community for the 2023-24 school year. This includes online learning and the possibility of a satellite campus in another country. I am interested in connecting with anyone who is able to support us in this endeavor.
We are grateful for the continued support from the international school community.
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Bridget Davies is the superintendent at Khartoum American School, Sudan.
Twitter: @BridgetDavies3
LinkedIn: Bridget Davies
Email: [email protected]
