We are LGBTIQ refugees in Gorom Refugee Camp, Sudan.
The heat here is extreme.
Daytime temperatures stay above 40°C for weeks. Inside our shelters, it feels much hotter.
The shelters are made of thin plastic and rusted sheets. There is no shade. No ventilation. No fans.
At night it barely cools down, so we do not sleep.
Heat exhaustion, dehydration, skin rashes, and headaches are common. People on ARVs and TB medication suffer more because the drugs increase heat sensitivity. Children and the elderly collapse.
The small WFP rations spoil faster in the heat. Maize gets weevils. Beans ferment. We cannot store food, so we eat less.
Plastic tarps tear more in the sun. Rain leaks through, but the heat makes the plastic brittle, so shelters cannot be repaired with what we have.
We stay inside to hide from stigma and violence, but inside is an oven. We cannot move during the day, so we lose work, meetings, and chances to get help.
We queue for hours for water in the sun. Many get dizzy and go home empty-handed.
So we are urgently need support to go through this hell
We need Shade + Shelter Materials, Heavy-duty tarpaulins, rope, and poles to create communal shade and patch roofs.
Extra water points or jerrycans so we are not queuing for hours in 40°C heat.
Mosquito nets, floor mats, and if possible, solar fans for the most at-risk households.
Rehydration salts and basic skin medication at the clinic.
We are not asking for comfort. We are asking to survive the heat without falling sick or fainting.
Please share this. The world must know Gorom is burning.
