Under shelling and gunfire, Esraa cradled her newborn son. As the war in Sudan broke out in April 2023, she was trying to reach a health clinic for treatment for her baby, who had been struggling with infections and breathing difficulties. But with the roads blocked by fighting, the young mother never made it to the clinic; her son died in her arms.

When she became pregnant again in August last year, she was haunted by the fear of losing another child. “There's only one functioning maternal hospital left in Khartoum,” said Esraa. “It’s incredibly dangerous to move around the city – one of our neighbours died on her way to the hospital.”

Throughout the war, Esraa and her family have been forced to move repeatedly as areas that were safe one day became lethal the next. They eventually found refuge in a crowded shelter with other displaced people from Khartoum.