“We were very scared,” remembers Sameh as she recounts the night her husband Jalal was killed. “I asked him to go see what was happening outside on the street. There was lots of noise and we heard gun shots in the distance. He told me he didn’t want to go out because he didn’t want to leave me and our daughters alone. But I told him not to be scared and to go out and look.”

Sameh pauses to take a breath as she remembers that fateful evening a few months ago.

“He was killed that night while standing in the middle of the road. After that one moment, we were all alone, without protection and without any preparations for our future.”

Sameh is 40 years old, a widow, and now sole provider for five children and Jalal’s mother, Nawwar. The home they share has been badly damaged by shelling in several places since Jalal died.

“We live in a state of fear,” Sameh says. “What if what happened to my husband happens to me? What will happen to my children and their grandmother? I am anxious all the time.”

Without an income, the family relies on the generosity of others. Their neighbours provide great support, and Sameh also receives food vouchers from Concern.

“I thank God for everything I have still and for the kindness of those around me. Recently, someone provided us with enough money to purchase winter clothes for all the children, for example. But I am always afraid that the help will stop. How will I manage then?”

Irish artist Brian Maguire in South Sudan

The first day of crisis response

Celebrating Irish volunteers and humanitarians