Muzdalifa Hamad joins us on Mosaics to raise awareness about her home country, Sudan. Sudan is the focus of the Pace for Peace Run for Refugees 5K on May 30 in Boise (sign up here!).

Muzdalifa’s parents fled the Darfur region of Sudan before she was born and raised their children in Libya, where life was difficult but safer. The family resettled in the U.S. through refugee resettlement when Muzdalifa was in middle school. She remembers the support and kindness of her teachers as she learned English and became familiar with her new surroundings. Muzdalifa went on to earn a doctorate and is now a licensed pharmacist.

Sudan has a rich history of different language and ethnic groups, faith and cultural traditions, and architecture - including the most pyramids in the world. However, its people have suffered from political and military conflicts for generations, including colonization and competition over territories rich in gold resources.

Proceeds from the Pace for Peace will go to Agency for New Americans, a resettlement organization in Boise, and to the Atiye Charity Association, a nonprofit providing direct support to refugees in located in and around Sudan. Since its founding in 2024, Atiye has provided people with food, school supplies, and access to prosthetic care and rehab.Muzdalifa shares about Sudan’s history, her family’s experiences there, the caring community she experienced, and her favorite foods and holiday traditions that her family continues to pass down.