Sudan
Through our Conflict Response Fund we have so far identified three local women's rights organisations, Zenab for Women Development and Sudanese Organisation for Research and Development, whom we are partnering with to meet the most urgent needs of women.
Conflict Response Fund in Sudan
What is happening in Sudan?
Women caught in Sudan’s conflict face hunger, sexual violence and depleting resources for survival
On April 15, 2023, violent conflict erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Khartoum, Sudan. Although the clashes initially focused in and around the capital city, the fighting quickly spread throughout the country and continues unabated to the present.
In addition to the unrelenting conflict, extreme weather events such as droughts and floods have further disrupted livelihoods. With most of the population dependent on rain-fed agriculture and livestock, these shocks have devastated rural households, displacing communities and exacerbating food insecurity. Famine conditions exist in many parts of the country, the health infrastructure has completely broken down, and humanitarian access has been severely restricted by the ongoing fighting and obstruction by armed groups, leaving civilian populations desperate and struggling to survive.
Sudan is facing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with millions of displaced people deprived of necessities like food, medicine, safe water, and shelter. Refugee camps and shelters are overwhelmed. Immediate and sustained resources are needed to combat famine, malnutrition, disease, and thirst, especially for vulnerable groups such as children and women.
Millions of Civilians Displaced
Ongoing conflict in Sudan is displacing millions and putting women and children at severe risk
The fighting has claimed the lives of an estimated 30,000 people. Since April 2023, some 8.6 million people have been internally displaced and 2.5 million Sudanese have fled as refugees to countries such as Egypt, Chad and South Sudan, where we have been working since 2006.
Thousands of civilians caught in the crossfire, including women and children, are facing hunger and health issues due to scarcity of water, food supplies, limited access to health care and electricity outages. Additionally, women are being subjected to horrific forms of violence including sexual violence, slavery and forced marriage.
Many states are still experiencing conflict, leading to significant challenges for women. They are being displaced, unable to access health services, and lacking security and privacy in shelters. Additionally, they still require nutrition and non-food items (NFIs).
Meeting the Needs of Women Survivors in Sudan
We are working with local partners to provide urgent support to women displaced by the conflict in Sudan
In response to meeting the urgent needs of Sudanese women caught in the crossfire, we mobilised our Conflict Response Fund in Sudan and immediately partnered with three women's rights organisations: Zenab for Women Development, the Sudan Family Planning Association, and Sudanese Organization for Research and Development (SORD). Our partners remain in Sudan and work in some of the country’s most conflict-affected areas to provide immediate support to internally displaced women.
With our shared commitment with Zenab for Women Development (ZWD), we are:
- Distributing emergency kits to families; kits include food, non-food items, and essential sanitary and hygiene materials.
- Providing medicine for pregnant women.
- Offering food and cash assistance to vulnerable women impacted by intense fighting.
In collaboration with the Sudan Family Planning Association (SFPA), we are:
- Providing sexual and reproductive health services through mobile clinics.
- Offering psychosocial and medical support to women and girls who are survivors of Gender-Based Violence (GBV).
- Providing training and financial support to community midwives.
Through our partnership with the Sudanese Organization for Research and Development (SORD) we helped to enhance the resilience of women affected by conflict in Khartoum State through:
- Distribution of dignity kits containing sanitary pads and soap, as well as flashlights and whistles to aid their safety.
- Providing trauma-informed counselling to women who have experienced violence and documenting cases of violence against women in the hope of reaching justice for survivors.
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Conflict Response Fund
subtitle: In 2018, we launched a new conflict response fund — a separate funding pool to more rapidly help women who are caught in the current horrors of our time. To reach women in their most critical moments, we work with partners who can respond to conflict and
In 2018, we launched a new conflict response fund — a separate funding pool to more rapidly help women who are caught in the current horrors of our time. To reach women in their most critical moments, we work with partners who can respond to conflict and make an immediate impact.
Where we work
subtitle:
Learn more about the conflict-affected countries where we work around the world. Since our origins in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we have expanded and adapted our programmes to support 579,287 women living in some of the world’s most challenging environments.
Why women in conflict
subtitle:
When war and insecurity take hold, women bear the heaviest burden of violence, poverty and inequality. Learn more about why supporting women survivors of war is so important.