“There was a lot of gunfire around where I live,” says 17-year-old Remah as she recalls the wave of violence that swept Al Jazirah state in late 2024. “I was really scared. We didn’t know where we were going. We didn’t have a plan. But my family decided we had to leave immediately.”After fleeing on foot, Remah and her family eventually arrived at the recently established Arab 6 camp in Kassala state, eastern Sudan. The camp is home to an estimated 1,600 families, many of whom walked for days to get here as they fled spiralling conflict back home.Remah is sitting on the floor of a child-friendly space, drawing a young woman with a butterfly fluttering towards her. She sketches the outline of the face and hair quickly, clutching some coloured pencils as she talks. She’s remarkably focused considering the boisterous atmosphere in the tent.“I’ve liked drawing since I was little,” she says. “I like drawing traditional dresses.”Chaos, comfortSalawa, 17, also likes drawing, but gets her inspiration from anime characters she saw on TV before she fled her home with her father and brothers. “But there isn’t any TV here,” she says.One of Salawa’s friends was killed in the fighting and her family house was destroyed. “I don’t know what happened to some of my family,” she says.Salawa has been at Arab 6 for almost three months, but she isn’t sure how long her family will stay. “I feel sad. I don’t know where we’ll go next,” she says. “I miss my home and my friends and my cats.”But she adds that she has made two new friends since she arrived at the site and is happy that she has been able to attend the child-friendly space because she gets a chance to spend some time with people her own age.“And I really like the time we get to draw,” she adds.Giving children somewhere to play allows them to work through feelings such as pain, fear or the loss of a loved one, while being able to still act like a child. Play also gives children a way to express things they are struggling with that they might not yet have the words to fully explain.Child-friendly spaces also provide an opportunity to raise awareness around risks to children as well as somewhere that information can be provided about available services and support. At the spaces in Arab 6 there are two social workers and two psychologists on hand to offer support.Abdullah has been a child-friendly space coordinator here with UNICEF partner CDF since November, and has already noticed a difference among the children attending the spaces. “We’re gradually seeing a positive change in the way the children interact with each other,” Abdullah says. “At first it was difficult with children from so many backgrounds. But now they’re becoming friends.”One of the most visible examples of that change? What the children are drawing. “When the children first arrived at the site, most of them were drawing guns, planes, those things,” he says. Now they rarely do.An estimated 17 million children in Sudan are out of school due to the ongoing conflict, exacerbating an already dire learning crisis. Hundreds of schools across the country are serving as shelters for displaced people, further disrupting the education system. As part of its efforts to help displaced children keep learning, UNICEF supported learning centres in Arab 6 have enrolled almost 1,600 children in classes. Children attend classes six days a week, typically starting at 7 a.m., and study the national curriculum. Taha, 13, has been in Arab 6 since November. He says he has been out of school since the war started but has been excited to be able to take classes at the learning space. “I like being able to take classes here because I really missed studying,” he says. In fact, he’s taking tests in Arabic and maths tomorrow.“I really like studying. I even read and study on my days off,” Taha says. Arabic is his favourite subject, but he says doesn’t like studying English. “It’s so difficult!” he adds with a smile.There are currently 20 teachers at Arab 6 – 13 women and 7 men – all of whom are themselves internally displaced. UNICEF has provided recreational kits and learning materials for the learning spaces. Across the country, UNICEF has worked with partners to provide more than 2.3 million children with formal and non-formal education opportunities. But even as some children have started to return to class, millions more remain out of school. Access to education is about more than the right to learn – schools protect children from physical dangers around them, including abuse and exploitation. They can also provide children with lifesaving food, water and healthcare, while giving children stability and structure to help them cope with the trauma they are experiencing. Without access to schools, the country’s current learning crisis will become a generational catastrophe.Taha says being back in classes has given him a chance to make new friends. “I’ve made a lot since I got here,” he says. “They come from different villages.”But learning is also giving him a chance once again to dream of a better future, and one day to have his own career – one where he can help those around him. “I want to be a doctor,” Taha says. “I want to make sure people get treatment and help people who need it.”, filtered_html

Arriving at a site for displaced people is often the beginning of the journey as well as the end.At that point, families have made it out of immediate danger, often crossing battlefields to do so, but they now find themselves living in the most basic conditions, uprooted from farms and communities, sometimes separated from family members and support networks. They’re unemployed, usually with no savings and no immediate answers for questions like where to find work, where to send their children to school, or even where to feed them.For some, the answer is humanitarian assistance - immediate cash grants and food. But Sudan is now the word's largest displacement crisis, with around 11m people forced from home, and the humanitarian appeal is only 37% funded. There will never be enough assistance available to help everyone, so it's critical that we empower Sudanese people to help themselves.One UNDP project is doing just that by offering tools, skills, access to loans and other support to women farmers and entrepreneurs across four states, both in displacement areas and in the communities that host them. Even while the war continues, these women in Kessala, Gedaref, River Nile and Blue Nile, are using that support to grow their own food, set up their own small businesses and keep their children in school with money they earn themselves.The project, which also provides access to solar power and aims to widen mobile networks, is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). Listening comes firstAlmost 6m women are girls have been displaced. They're not all the same, and nor are their local communities, so we hold consultations everywhere we work in order to ask people what they need and what will work in their specific circumstances.So far, the project has talked to over 3,000 women and community leaders to help design our activities. In River Nile, many called for help to set up home gardens to grow vegetables. In Gedaref, where there is better access to land, women were more interested in learning how to turn raw farm goods into products that can be sold at higher prices in local markets. In Keassala, we were asked for equipment to bake bread and help to start small businesses.In each case, the project listened and designed a package of support that would meet these local needs."I don’t have to buy vegetables from the market anymore, making it much cheaper to make healthy meals for my family." Helping farmers improve nutrition and make extra moneyThe project provides women farmers with tools for preparing the land, high-quality seeds and training on "Good Agricultural Practices" that make the best use of local soils and conditions, including how to retain as much water as possible when growing plants in areas increasingly affected by climate change.In Gala Anahal, we've distributed 12,000 kg of high-quality sorghum. In River Nile, nearly 1,000 women attended trainings on how to set up home gardens, allowing them to grow vegetables for their families and for sale in nearby markets. We also provided tools, seedlings and organic fertilisers.In total, more than 3,000 women farmers have received some kind of support for farming.The World Food Programme estimates that 84% of women in Sudan do not get enough to eat, so programmes that allow women to boost nutritional intake for themselves and their families are key to maintaining health. The food sold in local markets also helps bring in a little extra money for essentials - like simple medicines and school fees, helping some of the estimated 2.5 million girls who are currently missing out on an education."My farm is thriving. If the harvest is successful this season, I hope to earn enough to buy a cart, which will make it easier to manage the farm." Setting up new businessesMany women want to make more money than they can from simple farming, so the project provides tools and training to help turn raw goods into higher value products. This might involve instruction on baking delicacies that meet local tastes (displaced women aren't selling into their home markets and tastes differ hugely across Sudan's vast area). Or it could be training how to make tea, coffee or perfumes.In some cases, a more significant capital outlay is needed to start a business - such as ovens for baking - but women with no financial backing can't access bank loans. Instead, we help women form financial cooperatives that can pool resources and lend money to themselves. In Gedaref and River Nile states, these Village Savings and Loan Associations now make finance available for some 500 women, including IDPs.We also provide classes on book-keeping and basic financial skills to help manage things once businesses are up and running. Safety and solidarity for womenEven when host communities are welcoming, these are impoverished areas and conditions are basic. Toilets are scarce and can be located some distance away. At night, in the dark, this poses risks for women. It's also dangerous for children, who can cut themselves on uneven ground or be bitten by snakes.In Gedaref, UNDP has provided solar lighting and solar torches for 20,000 displaced people at eight gathering sites, making them safer and allowing communal areas to be used more easily after dark.In Gedaraf, Kassala and River Nile, we're setting up centres for women, equipped with meeting spaces, computers, areas for agricultural demonstration plots and solar power. These centres allow women from IDP and host communities to learn from each other collaborate on business ideas and provide space for women-led financial cooperatives and small businesses to meet. The project has been running since December 2023. Originally scheduled to end in 2024, BMZ and GIZ have now provided additional funding to continue our work until February 2025.In addition to expanding the support outlined above, we are also talking to local energy providers to see if we can increase mobile phone coverage in rural areas. This will make it easier and more cost effective to provide ongoing advice on farming and businesses, as well as additional training courses that can be delivered by text even to basic mobile phones.The challenges are immense and no single project is going to meet them. In Sudan as a whole, some 26 million people are food insecure. In rural areas, this includes 97% of the communities hosting IDPs. In urban areas, research published by UNDP in November has documented the scale of damage from the war, noting drastic falls in employment, income and access to healthcare.These are huge numbers. But interventions like this, which empower people to support themselves rather than having to rely on aid, are the most cost effective way to improve food security and help economies recover. They can be done now - and done at scale - so that communities across Sudan can kickstart the process of early recovery and make themselves better prepared for whatever comes next.**********For more on UNDP's support to Sudan, please visit: www.undp.org/sudanFootnotesThe Building Resilience and Stability to Support Women Working in Agriculture and Women Led/Owned Enterprises project is made possible by funding from BMZ with support from GIZ.© 2025 UNDP Sudan , filtered_html

“After I found out that I was pregnant, I decided that I would never give up my child,” said Amna Salih.*When UN Women last spoke to Salih, she had recently given birth to a child after being raped by soldiers amid Sudan’s civil war.“Now, I'm finally holding my seven-month-old baby in my arms,” she said. Salih, who is 19 years old, said that she was determined to raise her child despite “the harshness of society after they found out that I was pregnant.”Hundreds of Sudanese women and girls have been raped during the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, which has been ongoing since April 2023.In a September 2024 report, the Sudanese government’s Unit of Combating Violence Against Women and Children (CVAW), documented 216 incidents of sexual violence in the first 18 months of the conflict, and estimated that those documented cases constituted a mere 2 per cent of the total incidents of sexual violence. The report concluded that sexual violence is being used as a weapon in Sudan, with the objectives of humiliation for ethnic or ideological reasons, forced eviction and displacement, and creating chaos and a sense of insecurity.The lack of health care and psychosocial support adds to the burdens faced by survivors of sexual violence.“When he was born, [my son] was sick for a long time and had some health complications,” Salih said. “I didn’t have enough breast milk to feed him, and now it has stopped entirely.”UN Women has worked with the Sudanese Organization for Research and Development (SORD), to provide Salih and many others with psychological and medical support, helping her to rebuild her life and care for her child.Salih said that a social worker helped her secure healthcare and emotional support before the baby was born, and that a generous local family cared for her and her baby after birth. However, that family is facing economic hardship due to the war, making Salih’s future all the more uncertain.“I often think that the burden and responsibilities have become too much for them, because I don't have any source of income, especially since my baby needs external [powdered] milk, clothes, and health care,” Salih said. “I feel annoyed that I am a burden on them, even though they never complain or make me feel that way.”Children conceived as a result of conflict-related sexual violence, including Salih’s son, lack vital official documentation such as a full birth certificate identifying the child’s father. Sudan’s National Council for Childhood oversees social welfare programmes for children who need support, but the system lacks funding and consistent protocols—especially during wartime.“Society is ruthless,” Salih said. “You often hear hurtful words and nicknames used about those who do not know their fathers or mothers.”UN Women and SORD work to reach survivors at all levels, addressing both the direct impacts of conflict-related sexual violence and the structural and cultural consequences faced by women and girls.“Conflict-related sexual violence in Sudan is a significant issue, causing economic insecurity, social vulnerability, and limited access to essential services,” said Safia Alamin, Programme Specialist for Gender-based Violence and Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse at UN Women Sudan.“The women, peace, and security resolutions of the UN Security Council emphasize the need for preventative and responsive measures to address this violence, including comprehensive support,” she said. “Despite this, many survivors face challenges in accessing services due to resource constraints, sociocultural stigma, and lack of information.”UN Women is also working with local partners to develop a comprehensive framework that integrates legal, psychological, and economic resources to support women like Salih and expand the reach of essential services. “I dream of completing my education to support my son in the future and to meet his needs and expenses,” Salih said. But sometimes, she added, “the future is completely dark for me.”*Salih's name has been changed to protect her safety., filtered_html

AJ JAZIRAH, Sudan – “Some parents were killed while trying to protect their daughters from being raped,” said Sara*, a counsellor in Sudan’s eastern Aj Jazirah state and one of many health workers relaying shocking accounts of sexual violence in recent weeks. Since 20 October, escalating conflict in Aj Jazirah has led to the deaths of over 100 people, including health workers, and forced an estimated 340,000 to flee their homes in search of refuge. With at least six health facilities attacked, even essential services have been severely disrupted and patients are being transferred to alternative health centres, although only one in four are currently operational in Aj Jazirah.Reports from the State Ministry of Health indicate severe human rights violations have been carried out during the attacks, with women and girls from the ages of 6 to 60 subjected to rape and sexual assault.“You don’t see young women in some camps,” one health worker explained to UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. “Some girls who arrived in Gedaref said friends were left behind.”UNFPA-supported counsellors in Gedaref State are caring for women and girls in shelters who recently fled Aj Jazirah. Some reported seeing women throw themselves into the river to avoid being abused by armed men; in a displacement camp in Kassala State, others shared painful warnings from their families before they left: “If we see armed fighters come to the village and attempt to rape you, we will kill you to protect you before this happens.”  The stigma of sexual violenceSuch is the level of stigma meted out to rape survivors – and their relatives – that many are turning to devastating measures to cope. “Survivors of sexual violence are running away and hiding because their families have threatened to end their lives to wash away dishonour,” explained a counsellor in Gedaref, who did not wish to be named for safety reasons.A number of girls said their brothers, fathers and uncles had provided them with knives and instructed them to “take their own lives if threatened with rape.”  “We can’t access most [survivors] because, first, they are in denial or afraid of being accused or targeted,” continued the counsellor. “Second, they fear that if they disclose their experiences, they could lose their lives.” Lives uprooted, and upendedUNFPA has also heard alarming reports of looting, threats and widespread attacks on homes, prompting mass and sudden displacements. Aliya’s* family was attacked in Aj Jazirah, forcing her to flee on foot. “They took everything from us, we left with nothing. They beat us like dogs.” But their journey was no less arduous or dangerous. “We walked for seven days under the sun without anything to eat. Some women died on the way – there was no water to drink, they died of thirst.”Like countless other women caught up in this spiral of violence, Aliya is now the sole carer and provider for her uprooted family. “Our men were left behind in the village. I don’t know where my husband is… Maybe they killed him. I swear, I don’t know what has happened to him,” she told UNFPA.“I have six children. We need clothes, shoes, food, soap – we have nothing.”Mariam*, escaped to Kassala State after her husband was killed. “They came to our house, threatened us, and tried to take my daughters. I told them my daughters were married. Then they demanded gold and money, but I told them I had none. So they took me and my oldest daughter and beat us.“One of my daughters is immunocompromized, and I fear she might die from malnutrition,” she continued. “I use my own clothes to cover my newborn baby, who is only four months old.” A flexible, but underfunded, responseSince the escalation of violence in Aj Jazirah, UNFPA has provided over 1,200 consultations on sexual and reproductive health through five mobile health teams deployed to Gedaref State, with funding from the governments of Canada, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. An additional health team is planned to be sent to Al Butana, as well as a mobile health and psychosocial support unit to the Elfao Hospital, which UNFPA has equipped with clinical post-rape supplies. The New Halfa and Khashm El Girba hospitals in Kassala, were also provided with these essential kits.UNFPA is currently supporting 49 women and girls’ safe spaces across Sudan, providing essential gender-based violence prevention and response services. But with the escalation of violence and increasing insecurity, much more is needed to ensure safe, rapid access to life-saving support can continue to be provided for all women and girls in urgent need. *Names changed for privacy and protection, filtered_html