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    The hope-makers in action in Sudan

It was a pretty crazy idea. To build a school in the far west of Sudan, in Darfur. In a civil war zone! It was anything but certain that this idea would ever be realized. I could have used the money to buy a new car, which would have been less risky. But also more self-serving. Together with Zain, I have fulfilled my dream. A school in his home village of Karakoulle, teaching more than a hundred children. In the meantime, my dream is shared. From people who have never been to Sudan themselves, people who support me, who are keen on this project and are committed to it. That’s why we founded the non-profit organisation „Die Hoffnungsmacher e.V.“. We want to build more schools in Sudan and elsewhere in Africa.

Zain’s book

“Everything I and all the others did … we did to survive – like everyone else who left their homes and homeland behind to flee from wars and conflicts to areas that offer them protection. We are all fighting for our lives.”

Zain-Alabidin Al-Khatir says goodbye to his family on November 17, 2013. He has to leave his country because he is being politically persecuted in Sudan. He flees to Libya via Egypt and has to pay professional smugglers to get there. With her help, he crosses the border in a night march, crosses a minefield and has to disguise himself as a veiled woman in order to pass checkpoints safely. He stays in the country for a year and a half, where anarchy reigns after the fall of Gaddafi, militias fight each other in bloodshed and the business of smugglers and human traffickers flourishes. Refugees are humiliated and exploited, a human life counts for little. Zain has to look for odd jobs to finance his onward journey and is often cheated out of his wages and robbed. Again and again he is at the mercy of smugglers, is beaten and locked up. Trapped in a room with dozens of other refugees, for days without food and water, without a toilet. Women are repeatedly raped in front of his eyes. Their husbands and children also have to watch. After 19 months in Libya, he finally gets the chance to flee to Europe. He is crammed below deck with 650 other refugees in a dilapidated, barely seaworthy fishing boat. After 17 hours of agony, rescue finally arrives: two ships pick up the people. The horror ends. Zain Alabidin Al-Khatir hat seine Flucht in einem Buch geschildert: „Ums Überleben kämpfen“. It was published by Arete-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-96423-020-1. The book makes him famous, he meets personalities such as the Federal President Walter Steinmeier and the Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz. In March 2023, Zain returned to Sudan for the first time as a German citizen. Saw his mother again for the first time, his father, siblings and friends. Now they are building a school together in his home village with the help of Hoffnungsmacher.

Zain Al-Khatir mit Bundespräsident Steinmeier
Zain Al-Khatir mit Bundeskanzler Scholz

You can help us

The hope makers need your support. Donate an amount of your choice to our account 1992999 at Fugger Privatbank: IBAN: DE30 7203 0014 0001 9929 99BIC: FUBKDE71XXX We will of course send you a donation receipt so that you can deduct the amount from your taxes. Please let us know your first and last name, your postal address and, if applicable, your e-mail address for a donation receipt, which we will be happy to send you by e-mail or post. Please use the name and address fields on our contact page or enter your name and address in the “Purpose” line of your bank transfer form.

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