The Sudanese American Association presents its culture at the Cultural Fair on March 10 in the Pegasus Ballroom. The board members briefly presented and explained Sudanese culture and raised awareness about the ongoing war in Sudan.
Ganna Mahmoud
Two students co-founded the first Sudanese-American student organization at UCF this semester, sharing their culture and raising awareness of the ongoing crisis in Sudan.
Established on Jan. 28 at the Muslim Student Association’s Islam Around the World event, the Sudanese American Student Association was founded by Malaz Hageltoum, sophomore kinesiology major, and Khadeeja Khogali, sophomore health sciences major.
Hageltoum and Khogali expressed that the lack of representation of Sudanese people at UCF inspired them to launch the first club together.
“It’s to show culture, but we also are going through horrific times, and we can’t just show that we are having a good time while our people are struggling,” Khogali said.
Sudan was thrown into a violent war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in April 2023, resulting in mass starvation among the residents of the Western Darfur region. It is estimated that 150,000 people have died and about 12 million people have been displaced from their homes, according to the BBC.
About 25 million people — half of Sudan’s population – need humanitarian assistance and protection as the country faces extreme shortages of food, water, medicine and fuel, according to a recent report from the United Nations Refugee Agency.
Both the United Nations and the World Health Organization deemed it to be “the world’s most severe humanitarian crisis.”
Hageltoum expressed the importance of understanding the role of the United Arab Emirates in the crisis in Sudan. Amnesty International reported that the UAE was funding the RSF in Sudan in 2025. The Middle East Eye stated that the UAE’s support is linked to its interest in Sudan’s resources, such as agriculture and mineral resources.
“What happened in Sudan was really bad, and I was thinking it’s not getting enough coverage and not enough people know about this, especially on campus,” Khogali said. “We do have a Palestinian board when they talk about Palestine, but we don’t have a Sudan board to talk about Sudan.”
The Sudanese American Association presents a display during the Cultural Fair on March 10 in the Pegasus Ballroom.
Ganna Mahmoud
The club hosts a variety of events, from fundraisers to social gatherings, to foster a sense of community for the Sudanese and North African student communities.
SASA’s Coffee Social Night at Haraz Coffee House marked the organization’s first official event. Hageltoum said that the social fundraiser resulted in many Sudanese graduates and non-Sudanese people coming out to support the new organization.
“I hope we gain something from educating people and showing that Sudanese people are more than just Africans,” Khogali said. “We are humans.”
Khogali said allies can help by showing up to the club’s events, donating or posting on social media.
“People don’t really understand the power of social media because that’s where we locally started — our first thing was on Instagram,” Khogali said.
To Khogali, being Sudanese means being compassionate.
The Sudanese American Association presents a display of Sudanese culture, including food like basbousa and traditional practices like bakhoor and henna, at the Cultural Fair in the Pegasus Ballroom on March 10.
Ganna Mahmoud
“We are full of light and energy, even after what’s going on in our country, [we] still find a way to smile and laugh and be strong through it,” Khogali said. “Even though a lot of them don’t have money and are still struggling with food, they still make a light out of a situation. That’s something I really do love about being Sudanese.”
Hageltoum added that she hopes more people come to UCF and want to be part of the club as it continues to grow.
“It is going to reach the people eventually, and maybe it could be someone’s reason to come to UCF,” Hageltoum said.