The Sudan’s conflict, which erupted in April 2023, has created one of the world’s fastest-growing humanitarian crises. Today, an estimated 30.4 million people need assistance and more than 14.2 million have been displaced with nearly 10 million within Sudan and over 4.2 million in neighbouring countries. Rural communities have suffered deep losses as farms are abandoned, markets disrupted, and food prices soar. In this fragile environment, women are especially vulnerable. Yet many have emerged as vital leaders, protecting their families, land and dignity.Madina: Farmer, Leader, MotherIn Kalahoot Scheme in Kassala State, Madina Ibrahim Mohamed, a 47-year-old smallholder farmer and a mother of three, became one of those leaders. With a lifetime of experience in agriculture and livestock, Madina already played a key role in her community. She leads the Voluntary Women Farming Groups of the Kalahoot Scheme and is an active member of the Women Development Network in Kassala. She also works as a community Animal Health Worker and a local agricultural extensionist, advising others on field crops and vegetable production. Despite limited formal education, Madina pushed forward with her studies and enrolled at Sudan Open University, a testament to her determination to continue growing in the face of adversity.“We, as women, live the daily consequences of conflict, yet our voices are rarely included,” said Madina. “True change will only come when women and girls are empowered through education, training, and leadership opportunities to shape the peace our communities so urgently need.”Choosing Kindness in CrisisWhen the conflict broke out in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, Madina’s world was turned upside down. Still, in the midst of uncertainty, her family chose kindness. They welcomed three displaced families into their modest home, sharing every meal, every space, and every ounce of hope they had for nearly two years.“The conflict has weighed heavily on us. Everything is so expensive now,” Madina said. “We manage with what little we have, and even when there’s nothing, we stay thankful.” But their generosity stretched their resources thin. Long before the planting season, they had already exhausted their small reserves of sorghum and cash, leaving them without seeds or money to cultivate their fields. Women Rising TogetherMadina was determined to change her future, refusing to let hardship define her life. Together with 218 women farmers, she organized a local response, reaching out to government institutions, UN agencies, and both national and international NGOs for support. FAO was the first to respond in 2024, delivering sorghum seeds through its emergency seed distribution campaign, a lifeline amid Sudan’s deepening hunger crisis. With seeds in hand, the women were able to rent land at low cost, cultivate in time for the rainy season and produce a considerable harvest of sorghum and vegetables.“This support truly empowered women,” said Aisha Osheik, FAO Sector Coordinator. “They chose to lead, to make decisions and to carry out the work themselves. It gave them independence and, more importantly, it gave them hope at a time when everything felt uncertain.”Beyond Food ProductionThe impact went beyond food production. With support from Kassala Microfinance Institution, 48 women received seed money to launch small income-generating activities by selling soap, oil, biscuits and other local goods. All the women successfully repaid their loans within ten months and have continued their businesses independently.Resilience Rooted in the LandThrough personal hardship and community struggle, Madina continues to lead with strength, humility and vision. Her story reflects the resilience of Sudanese women who, even in crisis, remain deeply rooted in their land and their role as providers — and who are choosing to rise, organize and lead. What started as a struggle for survival has grown into new skills and a source of confidence and resilience.

The ongoing conflict in Sudan has crippled the health system, leaving millions of children and families without access to essential services. More than 70 per cent of health facilities are non-functional, medicine supplies have been disrupted, and entire communities in conflict zones are cut off.To respond to these challenges, UNICEF in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health, and WHO under the Sudan Health Assistance and Response to Emergencies (SHARE) project funded by the World Bank- has launched three digital health innovations to rebuild and strengthen Sudan’s health system. From real-time and remote patient consultations and medicine subscriptions, to outbreaks response and frontline worker training, these tools offer a glimmer of hope.The digital health solutions, which will be rolled out across all 18 states, are designed to:Improve the quality of healthcare services and facilitate access especially for the most marginalized communities far from fixed health facilities and those trapped in conflict areas.Empower frontline workers to reach children and their families even in the remotest places.Build a more resilient and sustainable health system.In a country focused on restoring health services, deploying digital innovations will support continuous professional development for frontline workers, enable remote consultations and patients’ interactions, and improve coordination and governance- revitalization health systems and easing access to services for women and children.Improving access to health care will also help rebuild public confidence in a system that currently leaves many underserved, especially in conflict-affected areas.“We welcome this partnership and the deployment of these technologies. They are essential to strengthening our health system, supporting our frontline workers, and ensuring that no child is left behind,” said Dr. Heitham M Awadalla, Federal Minister of Health.The digital health solutionsCare ConnectA communication platform to improve coordination between healthcare workers – the backbone of the health system- and the Ministry of Health leadership. By improving governance, engagement, and efficiency, Care Connect l builds a more responsive health system that benefits women and children through better service delivery. IConnectFor families unable to access health facilities, IConnect will provide telehealth consultations through voice, video, and text messages, along with medication and laboratory test requests supported by electronic medical records. It removes physical barriers to healthcare access, enabling early diagnosis and treatment, especially for women and children in remote areas, while providing health workers with real-time feedback to improve quality of care. ZAMWContinuous training for health workers is central to improving service quality. ZAMW, an AI-powered mobile app, supports frontline workers with continuous learning through interactive learning tools like video lessons, quizzes, and educational games aligned with evolving treatment guidelines. This enhances patient outcomes while ensuring health workers are well-equipped to respond to community health needs.Rollout and impact The launch and subsequent roll-out of the digital solutions follows a successful pilot phase that reached over 5,000 health workers in five primary health care facilities and a referral hospital. The innovations will now be deployed in over 400 health facilities, supporting over 3,000 health workers and reaching nearly 500,000 children directly or indirectly across Sudan. The benefits are visible. “Using IConnect is straight forward. I now can send test results and follow up with the doctors regularly. It saves time and enables us serve people faster and more efficiently with less effort,” Haider, a nurse.“This is the first time that we feel connected as health workers,” Sitna, a general practitioner. “Through Care Connect we share information and experiences with our colleagues in other states.” “The videos on the ZAMW platform explain concepts in a simplified way and in our local dialect. This has boosted my confidence especially during this emergency,” Tasneem, a medical doctor.Speaking at the launch event, the UNICEF Representative Sheldon Yett said – “The health system in Sudan is facing immense challenges.” “Many hospitals and clinics are no longer operational, and health workers are doing their best under incredibly difficult conditions.”“The three digital tools being introduced are practical, scalable solutions that respond directly to the needs of health workers and communities.”By investing in digital health innovative solutions, UNICEF is not only strengthening Sudan’s healthcare systems but also improving quality and access to healthcare especially for the most disadvantaged and ensuring better health outcomes for millions of children in Sudan, amidst the conflict.

Seated next to her makeshift shelter, Amani wraps her youngest child in a coloureful toub - a traditional Sudanese women garment, to protect her from the cold, carefully covering the her head. She doesn’t have much to wrap the newborn in, having left most of her belongings behind when she recently fled the clashes in Al Fasher. 

Just a few months ago, Amani had been looking forward to her baby’s birth. Together with her family, she anxiously waited for the arrival of the new addition and the celebration that would follow.

But as the days got closer, fighting in her neighbourhood escalated and engulfed the entire village. “We hid under the beds throughout the day and only came out on the evening,” she recalled.This went on for days. With no end in sight, the family had to flee. 
From Al Fasher, they moved to Hirja for a night before continuing to Zamzam. But the situation there was even worse.

With each move, Amani became more exhausted – and every new condition posed greater risks to her life and the unborn baby.

“There was no food, no water and no one to help us.”

The situation would later worsen when the rain began. For days, the family survived on rainwater and bread from strangers.

Amani worried constantly about her baby. Was she eating enough? Was the baby still healthy? All she wanted was to give birth safely and to a healthy child. 

But before they could settle in the oasis where they had briefly found shelter, fighting closed in again. And by now, her baby was almost due. 

With no hospital in sight and no health workers around, Amani was forced to deliver in unsafe and high- risky conditions. Delivering on the road Amani is one in thousands of women in Sudan who cannot access maternal and newborn health services during pregnancy and delivery during the ongoing conflict. With health systems severely disrupted, unsafe deliveries are increasing- putting the lives of both newborns and mothers at grave risk.

As her family fled between Sharga and Tawila, Amani went into labour. Her baby arrived by the roadside with support from her mother and nearby residents."I gave birth under a tree, lying on a small mat,” she said. Too weak to carry her newborn or continue the journey, Amani rested for a week before finally reaching Tawila with her family. She remembers being fed only a mixture of water and flour to support her recovery from childbirth. 

For mothers like Amani, postnatal care during emergencies is nearly impossible to access—yet it is critical for survival and long-term recovery. In Sudan, 70 per cent of health facilities are non-functional. In safer areas, the remaining facilities are overwhelmed by waves of displaced people, while mobile communities are left struggling to access critical care.

Today, Amani and her family join thousands of displaced people in Tawila who have fled violence in Al Fasher, Zamzam, Abu Shouk, and other IDP camps in North Darfur.

To respond to the crisis, UNICEF has activated mobile clinics to reach vulnerable and displaced communities. Through 14 Primary Health Care centres and two mobile clinics, critical services- including immunization, maternal care, and nutrition- are provided to those in need. 

“Ben and I built a beautiful life together,” says Caroline Naktari proudly.Her office in Nairobi, where she works as a Human Resources Officer with OCHA, is dotted with photographs of her family, depicting deep love and happy times together. “I’m a mother of seven – two girls and five boys,” she begins, breaking from a silent, pensive reflection. “Our youngest is just eight years old.” Caroline’s voice is steady, but behind it lies a story of profound love, sacrifice and unimaginable loss.Her husband, Benjamin, was the Head of Field Office for the World Food Programme (WFP) in Sudan. But to Caroline, he was much more than a humanitarian.“Benjamin was, without a doubt, one of the best creations to ever walk this Earth,” she says, her face lighting up briefly with a tender smile. “He was my friend, confidant, buddy, mentor, colleague, big brother, greatest love and devoted husband. He was incredibly kind, selfless, fatherly and grounded in deep conviction.”Benjamin’s work took him to Yabus, one of Sudan’s most remote and challenging locations.  “No international staff stayed more than eight weeks,” Caroline recalls. “But Ben didn’t mind that his ‘bedroom’ had walls and ceilings lined with UNHCR [UN Refugee Agency] bags. He had a nice house back home in Nairobi, but that never impressed him. He was unattached to comfort, drawn instead to purpose.”Benjamin told Caroline that every night before sleeping, he would check his room for reptiles and scorpions. “Yet none of that deterred him,” she says. “His joy came from reviewing M&E [monitoring and evaluation] reports and assessments. I learned so much about WFP just by watching him.”A dedicated professional, Benjamin saw his role not as a job but a calling. “He believed it was a God-given role,” Caroline explains. “No salary could match the sacrifice and danger. He led with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility.”Even during his official Rest and Recuperation (R&R) breaks, Benjamin remained connected to his work. “He was always on his phone – monitoring distributions, logistics; his heart was fully in it. He used to say in Swahili, ‘Hawa ni ndugu zetu’ – these are our brothers and sisters.”Humanitarian work is moving away from the traditional practice of giving handouts to people in need, focusing instead on a more dignified approach. Benjamin was deeply committed to this. “He was proud of WFP’s shift from direct aid to sustainable models, like cash transfers,” Caroline says. “He believed in empowering communities, especially through nutrition and education.”But working in Sudan came with risks. “He often spoke about the toll it took on his health,” Caroline shares. “Even the care packages I sent during his R&R breaks didn’t last – he shared them with colleagues. We were worried. I had arranged to channel half my salary into his account starting January 2026 so he could come home and explore other opportunities.”But that was never to be, as everything changed on 19 December 2024.“He had just completed his handover and was scheduled to travel home the next morning for his late brother’s funeral,” Caroline recounts. “He stepped out of his office to call me – something we had planned an hour earlier. It was in the very act of dialling my number that he was hit by an aerial strike.”Caroline would later learn that the bomb landed just behind him. “The shrapnel tore through his back, shattering his ribs, lungs and heart,” she says. “He stopped breathing within eight minutes. I was part of the postmortem process. It was devastating.” Caroline speaks of her family’s faith and how they were bound together by a solemn family routine, often taking turns to pray for one another at a dedicated time in the evening. It was during such a time that she received the news. “It was his turn to pray for us that evening. We couldn’t reach him on the phone. The notification still feels fresh. I regretted every bit of having him in Sudan.”Every night at 10:38 p.m., Caroline feels the chill: “That was the moment the call came in. That time of night has never been the same.”Losing Benjamin has left a deep void. “It feels like I fell into an endless pit,” Caroline says. “Our 10-year-old son dreads visiting the grave. He always asks if we can bring Daddy back.”To Caroline, Benjamin was more than a husband and father. “We lost our family’s leader, our priest, a mentor, a friend, a confidant. And yes, WFP lost a dedicated colleague.”But Benjamin’s legacy lives on. “My son recently graduated and wore his father’s suit and shoes – to step into his footsteps,” she says with a soft smile.Caroline finds strength in memories and small sentimental items. “I wear his watch and perfume to cherish all the moments. He was a cool guy. We had the best family life, a quality marriage and so much joy.”She also has advice that she’s not shy to share with other families and the humanitarian community: “Value every opportunity God gives you with your loved ones – especially those working in high-risk duty stations. You never truly know if that ‘goodbye’ might be the final one.”She adds: “I saw Ben off at Terminal 1, full of life and purpose. Four weeks later, I received him at Terminal 2 – the cargo section. No one prepares you for that kind of return. And nothing remains the same after it.”Caroline’s story is just one of many families of humanitarian workers who paid the ultimate price for their dedication to alleviating the suffering of millions of people in need. Last year, more than 380 aid workers were killed in their line of duty around the world, making it the deadliest year on record. But 2025 may be worse – at the time of publishing this story, more than 250 aid workers have been killed. Killing aid workers has become normalized; their deaths rarely make the headlines, even though their work – meant only to save lives and ease suffering – is underfunded, overstretched and literally under attack. Violations of international humanitarian law continue, with every red line crossed meeting with impunity, indifference and hypocrisy. Yet humanitarians do not give up; they still head towards gunfire, checkpoints and danger to deliver aid to people who need it most.This World Humanitarian Day, aid workers are renewing their call for respect for the rules of war, the protection of those who protect humanity and an end to impunity.  FootnotesText: Basma Ourfali and Joshua Mmali. Cover Photo: UNOCHA/ Basma Ourfali