“I did not understand what happened to me, I only knew it was something terrible. I was scared, ashamed, and in pain,” says Asia*, 17, who was raped by her neighbour in a camp for internally displaced people in Central Darfur, Sudan. When the schoolgirl later suffered a miscarriage and was admitted to hospital, she was referred to one of Islamic Relief’s sexual and gender-based violence recovery centres. Based in rural hospitals, the centres offer vital counselling and medical care as part of an integrated intervention providing access to healthcare to over 52,200 conflict affected people.

For Asia, the support has been a lifeline. “The therapy sessions have helped me through my ordeal. The first thing I told my psychologist is that I do not want to quit school, but I cannot afford the fees. A week later, he came with his colleagues… and they provided me with cash and school supplies. My psychologist encouraged me to go to school and have a normal life. I dream of becoming a doctor one day, to help people.”