Sarah Merghani, a third-year global health student at York University, has transformed personal concern into collective action by launching the Displacement & Health Relief Network (DHRN), a student-led initiative dedicated to advancing humanitarian relief for displaced peoples.
DHRN launched in April 2025 on the two-year anniversary of the Sudanese civil war, an event that has personal meaning for Merghani whose family is from Sudan and still lives there. Seeing the destruction and hearing from relatives about the suffering, she felt a strong responsibility to help. Her hometown, considered a safe zone, became a refuge for millions of displaced Sudanese fleeing conflict areas.
Late last year, she began raising funds to provide food and medicine to those in camps across northern Sudan, later expanding support to other regions through local volunteers.
Between December 2024 and April 2025, Merghani raised nearly $10,000 through personal outreach and social media and worked with volunteers who distributed food, medicine and emergency supplies. The experience, she says, showed her the power of grassroots solidarity and inspired her to create something more structured.
That structure became DHRN. Since its launch, the network has raised more than $160,000 to provide essential aid to internally displaced people in Sudan, working directly with community organizers on the ground. It is now a federally incorporated not-for-profit in Canada, strengthening its capacity for long-term impact.
“As DHRN grew, I saw how much trust people placed in our work and realized that impact comes with responsibility,” says Merghani. “Incorporating as a not-for-profit created transparency and sustainability, enabling our efforts to grow.” The change allows DHRN to manage funds through an official bank account, build a board of directors, apply for grants and collaborate with universities and NGOs. “What started as a student-led effort has become something much bigger,” she says.
DHRN is an Agents of Change project with York’s Faculty of Health, offering students opportunities to turn real-world problems into tangible advocacy, research and education. Among its first initiatives is Voices on the Move, a student-led blog that highlights stories of displacement, resilience and belonging, creating a platform for dialogue and awareness.
Building on that foundation, DHRN launched its on-campus engagement work this fall with its first event, the DHRN Welcome Event, co-hosted on Sept. 24 with the Centre for Refugee Studies Student Caucus at York's Keele Campus. Facilitated by Merghani, the gathering brought students together for small-group discussions on migration, health and advocacy, and invited participants to share experiences and ideas for collective action.
“The event offered a safe space to talk about personal experiences relating to immigration, displacement and being a refugee. I am grateful I was a part of this learning experience,” says Ann Kwarteng, a fifth-year global health student and DHRN blog contributer.
For Zamzam Aini, a third-year global health student and DHRN outreach director, the event was “a meaningful opportunity to reflect and connect with others who truly care about supporting migrant and displaced communities.”
While Sudan remains at the heart of DHRN’s work, the network’s mission has expanded to address displacement more broadly. “The challenges faced by displaced Sudanese families are part of a much larger, global story,” says Merghani. DHRN now aims to support uprooted communities globally and within Canada through advocacy and education, recognizing displacement as a global health issue not limited by borders.
The “network” in DHRN’s name reflects both its student team at York and its partners abroad. On campus, students lead advocacy, communications and research efforts that connect global issues with local action. Internationally, DHRN collaborates with volunteers, health professionals and community organizers in Sudan and neighbouring regions who help deliver aid and assess needs.
Looking ahead, DHRN plans to expand its initiatives through projects like the Displacement Health Resource Library and the Sudan Advocacy Toolkit – digital resources that provide information and practical ways to take action. The network is also developing partnerships with organizations such as the Migrants Resource Centre Canada and hopes to collaborate with researchers who study displacement and health.
Merghani says DHRN ultimately seeks to engage students, educators and community members who want to learn, act and make a tangible difference. “At its core, the network is about solidarity and creating meaningful connections between those affected by displacement and those who want to be part of the solution.”
She adds, “Our goal is to bridge compassion and action, to remind people that displacement is not a crisis happening elsewhere. It’s about humanity, solidarity and the right to health and dignity for all.”
Students, faculty and community members are invited to join future events, collaborations and advocacy efforts. To learn more, visit the DHRN website, send an email or follow the network on Instagram and LinkedIn for updates.
With files by Sarah Merghani