Through interviews with Film and Tv Editor John O’Connor, two students from Sudan and South Sudan share their inspiring journeys to UCD, and UNHCR’s Aoife Kavanagh discusses how the agency’s support can help refugees secure scholarships and pursue their academic dreams.
As of 2025, the civil war in Sudan has forced over 12 million people to flee their homes and as violence continues to escalate, people are desperately seeking safety and protection. The United Nations (U.N.) says Sudan is now home to the world’s largest displacement crisis and was characterised as a “living nightmare” by Amy Pope, director general of the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration.
In many cases, the journeys of those who have been forced to flee the conflict does not get easier. However, UCD is offering some hope through their scholarship programme which allows asylum seekers from all over the world to continue or begin their academic studies and pursue their field of studies here in Ireland. Many of those who have won the scholarship have been supported by the UNHCR.
UNHCR
The UNHCR has been instrumental in the process of informing refugees of the possibilities that await them in higher level education in Ireland. Ms Aoife Kavanagh, Senior External Relations Associate at UNHCR, tells the University Observer that the scheme is mutually beneficial as the successful applicants are “doing something for Ireland too, in that the scholarships that we’re organising are particularly targeted at areas in Ireland where there are skill shortages.” It also means that “they have a qualification that’s recognised in the country and that they can progress here [in Ireland].”
I’m thinking of a girl who came [to Ireland] when she was 13 and didn't speak English, then four years later she did her Leaving Cert and now she’s studying Law and Human Rights.
Ms Kavanagh stated that one of the things “that keeps [her and her team] going is the resilience of people who have been through conflict or have been forced to flee from their homes.” Sometimes, at the most extreme level, refugees “have to literally flee from their homes, taking nothing with them. Sometimes it could be a village that is maybe being attacked or burnt down, and they would have seconds to leave home.”
A refugee’s resilience and ability to adapt is truly inspiring. “I’m thinking of a girl who came [to Ireland] when she was 13 and didn't speak English, then four years later she did her Leaving Cert and now she’s studying Law and Human Rights.” Many of those who have developed severe trauma from fleeing their homes do not allow their past to hinder, but to inspire them to “push forward and make something of their [new] lives.”
“To be honest, I feel privileged to work with people like that,” Ms Kavanagh said.
The determination of the refugees who come to Ireland is unquestionable. Two such people are Yahana and Sarah, two students from Sudan and South Sudan respectively, who obtained scholarships at UCD through the help of UNHCR. These are their stories.
Yahana
“Before this war I had my own small business,” along with an engineering degree, Yahana tells me. She and her family stayed in Sudan eight months after the conflict began in April, 2023, they “stayed hoping that the [conflict] would end. But it never did.” The conflict in Sudan is still ongoing.
“It was troubling and sad. We had to leave our home and everything we knew behind.” Yahana and her entire family was forced to leave Sudan for Uganda as “Uganda was the easiest place to go. Not every country is going to allow refugees in the country. Uganda opened their doors to us. It wasn’t easy to leave,” It was in Uganda that Yahana came across the opportunity to apply and win the scholarship at UCD. “I did not expect to be selected [...] but I thought let's give it a shot.”
“This degree will allow me to grow, and allow me to do the work I want to do internationally or for bigger companies.”
The chance paid off as Yahana is now pursuing an MA in business at UCD’s Smurfit School. This will allow Yahana to obtain a degree recognised internationally, as her engineering degree from Sudan was not recognised abroad. “This degree will allow me to grow, and allow me to do the work I want to do internationally or for bigger companies.”
“The scholarship allowed me to follow my dreams,” Yahana said.
Sarah
Sarah and her family moved to Uganda in 2010, before South Sudan had their own civil war in 2013. “Food was hard [to get] and we were looking for a better life.” After some time in the camp in Uganda, Sarah’s aunt had decided for Sarah to go back to Sudan to attend boarding school while she moved back to Yuba, but it was too dangerous to return. “We were planning to go back home, that’s when the war started.” This conflict would last seven years, ending in 2020.
“I’d been in this camp since 2013 up to almost 2024,” Sarah tells me. “Being in the camp is what made me come to Ireland [but] I applied with no expectations,” Sarah says with a laugh. “It was a competition, a tight competition. It was a scholarship for every refugee in Uganda. And Uganda has thousands of refugees.”
Sarah won the scholarship and is now pursuing an MA in Digital Innovation. “This scholarship has opened doors for me and I see it helping me in my future to achieve my career goals.”
Forgotten Emergencies
Despite these scholarships fostering hope and providing opportunity in such dire circumstances, it is important to remember that in the current geopolitical climate, certain wars are quick to be forgotten. It seems as though when a new war begins the previous war is collectively forgotten or diminished to a non immediate problem. As of 2025 the Geneva Academy recognises more than 110 armed conflicts currently being fought around the world. Yet, the average person may only be able to name two or three of these conflicts. The civil war in Sudan often escapes the spotlight, despite the displacement of its people and the UNHCR’s classification of the conflict as an emergency.
Despite the lack of coverage and aid, we must not forget the conflicts we cannot see.
Ms Kavanagh describes this collective overlook as “a question about human nature.” Due to the low amount of media coverage and the lack of assistance reaching those in need, the war in Sudan is “getting such little attention and it’s completely underfunded.” Despite the lack of coverage and aid, we must not forget the conflicts we cannot see. Especially before the conflict in Sudan falls down the hierarchy of need once again.
How close does a war have to be to our doorstep before we begin to care?