Nadia and her children have been displaced by the devastating conflict in Sudan
Imagine losing your family home, being forced to leave your life behind, and travelling miles to a refugee camp with your young children. And now you have no toilets, safe drinking water or place to clean.
Now, imagine millions of your countrywomen and men have also been forced from their homes. But the world isn’t in uproar about the horror you face – at times, it’s as if the world has barely noticed.
Meet Nadia, a mother who has been displaced by the devastating conflict in Sudan. As she speaks to us of her fight, and her commitment to her children, her child holds her closely, a reassuring presence for a child whose life has been shattered by war.
Sadly, we rarely see Sudan making the news, nor reports on the huge scale of the crisis that’s unfolding.
But just because it’s not in the headlines doesn’t mean the crisis is going away. As the second anniversary of the conflict approaches, Sudan remains one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Nadia is just one of 10 million people who have been internally displaced since the conflict began two years ago.
In April 2023, internal fighting broke out between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and it has now spread across 11 states out of 18. That means most of Sudan has become unsafe for families to live in and has resulted in 2,000 to 4,000 people crossing daily into South Sudan. The refugee camps at the borders are past capacity and with conditions worsening, many families are unable to feed their children dinner every night. And with regional countries and foreign governments fuelling the crisis by importing weapons into Sudan, the crisis deepens.
The need for shelter, food and health support is at a record high.
But the Catholic community has not forgotten Sudan or looked away. You have stood with families like Nadia’s who have been displaced by conflict. Thanks to generous donations from supporters like you, our local experts are working closely with families and providing essential resources such as emergency water, toilets, shelter and psychological support.
We work together – our local experts, mothers like Nadia, and incredible people like you – to make sure families can access the absolute essentials in times of a crisis. Donations from supporters like you directly help provide emergency water and toilets in the refugee camp where Nadia currently lives with her family. This means her family can now keep clean and access safe drinking water. Clean toilets and water also help reduce the spread of diseases like cholera within these camps, which prevents the situation worsening in a place where healthcare is extremely limited.
Your support means we can continue to be there for families just like Nadia’s – mothers and children caught up in a war that devastates lives. We work closely with local experts who understand where the need is greatest and act quickly in an emergency.
Thank you for standing alongside Sudan, and for supporting people in need even when their suffering does not make the headlines. By sharing your love, energy and resources with mothers like Nadia, you have shown that the Catholic community will continue to stand with those living through conflict.
If you’d like to be there for more mothers like Nadia you can donate to our emergencies fund. Your donations mean we can be there before, during and after an emergency and act quickly where the need is greatest.