Cómo las mujeres velan por la seguridad de la población en Tawila, Darfur del Norte.

"I could not ignore what I saw.” -Amani*, Women’s Protection Team (WPT) Leader, Tawila, Sudan

While on regular patrol through the internally displaced person’s camp she calls home, Amani*, a member of the Women’s Protection Team (WPT) in Tawila, received word of a young woman who had become increasingly isolated. Concerned for the woman's safety, Amani decided to pay her a visit. Her heart sank when she discovered a deeply distressed 25-year-old mother of five children.

According to family members, the woman, Rasha*, developed severe mental health challenges following an airstrike in El Fasher that killed five members of her family, including her husband, mother, father, sister, and niece.

Without access to the mental health care she needed, community members had resorted to restraining Rasha with chains out of fear that she might wander away or unintentionally harm herself. 

"I could not ignore what I saw," Amani said, "Before the training [with NP on protection], I would have simply felt sorry for Rasha. Now I understand that protecting someone begins with listening, understanding, and helping them reach support."

In her role as a Women’s Protection Team member, Amani was able to connect the young woman with the mental health care she needed. Now, Amani and her fellow WPT members take turns visiting the family and accompanying them to the services.

Community Protection in Action 

Women Protection Teams in the Tawila internally displaced person’s (IDP) camp have become an important bridge between communities and humanitarian actors. Through regular interactions, home visits, patrols, awareness activities, and community gatherings, WPT members are often the first to learn about vulnerable individuals living in isolation or experiencing protection risks.

With continuous mentoring and accompaniment by Nonviolent Peaceforce, the women respond using the principles of Unarmed Civilian Protection—building trust, strengthening relationships, promoting nonviolent responses, and accompanying individuals and families towards safety and support.

One WPT member explained, "Before [the training and mentoring from NP], we saw people suffering, but we did not know what to do. Today we understand that protection starts with listening, accompanying people, and ensuring they do not suffer alone." 

The experience of displaced people in Tawila 

In Tawila, amid severe humanitarian hardship and an overwhelming climate of fear and loss, thousands of civilians displaced by conflict continue to endure deeply distressing living conditions. Families uprooted from their homes now face daily uncertainty, struggling for survival and dignity in the face of prolonged suffering. 

The Women Protection Team builds relationships across the camp to become trusted support to the most at-risk families: female-headed households struggling without support, elderly women caring for grandchildren abandoned amidst the chaos, and individuals living with disabilities after losing eyes, limbs or part of their bodies during the fall of El Fasher.

In one case, the Women Protection Team encountered five children who had been separated from their mother and had endured abuse and neglect at the hands of their father. On their own, the children found their way to the IDP camp where the WPT team helped them find relatives and connect them to food and medical care services. A member of the WPT reflected, "These children not only needed food or shelter. They needed someone to hear them and help them find safety. We could not turn away."

Another family was having difficulty accessing humanitarian assistance - they hadn’t received any assistance since arriving to the internally displaced persons camp. There were seven children in the family, including a nine-year-old girl living with a disability. The mother disclosed, "Sometimes we feel invisible. People see us, but nobody remembers us." Fortunately, WPT members documented the family's concerns and were able to connect the family to the assistance available in the camp.

A Story of Transformation 

While the Women’s Protection Team has transformed the lives of countless families across Tawila, its members have also been changed by their involvement.

Women who once considered protection to be the responsibility of humanitarian organizations are increasingly becoming protectors within their own communities.

One WPT member proudly explained, "Before, we thought protection belonged to organizations. Today, we know protection belongs to all of us. Even if we have nothing to give, we can listen, accompany, and make sure no one suffers alone."

Community members have also started to recognize the value of these women. An elder in Tawila shared, "These women have become our eyes and ears. When someone is suffering, they do not wait. They come, they listen, and they help us find solutions together."

Through the principles of Unarmed Civilian Protection, Women Protection Teams in Tawila are proving that ordinary community members can become extraordinary protectors. Their commitment, compassion, and courage continue to strengthen resilience and create safer communities for those most at risk.

*Names changed for privacy and anonymity