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The current situation for children in Sudan

50% of Sudan's population—more than 24.7 million people, including nearly 14 million children—are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Children in Sudan have experienced unimaginable loss, physical and emotional trauma, and widespread violations of their rights, leaving their lives forever changed.

Sudan is now home to the largest child displacement crisis in the world, with 4.6 million children forced to flee their homes due to the ongoing conflict. More than 10 million children—one in two—are living within 5 kilometers of the conflict's frontlines, exposing them to gunfire, shelling, and other forms of deadly violence. 

With the most schools either closed or struggling to reopen, aa staggering 19 million school-aged children have been denied access to education. Among them are 6.9 million children who have been uable to attend school since the conflict began in April 2023. 

Save the Children in Sudan

Save the Children has been working in Sudan since 1983, operating in 13 of the country’s 18 states. Many of the children and families we support are among the most vulnerable and hardest to reach. Today, we are one of the largest international NGOs in Sudan, providing a range of services to protect children’s lives and rights. 

After the conflict broke out on April 15, 2023, we had to briefly pause our operations in some of the conflict-affected areas to ensure the safety and well-being of our staff. However, we swiftly adapted our on-going programs and initiated our emergency response in May 2023 providing integrated health, nutrition, Water, Sanitation & Hygiene, Child Protection, Food Security, Livelihoods and Education programs across Sudan. 

What we do

In Sudan, we are providing essential services across multiple sectors to support communities devastated by conflict. In health, we deliver emergency care, vaccinations, and mental health support, ensuring children and families receive the medical attention they need. Our nutrition programs actively combat malnutrition, treating thousands of children with life-saving care. In food security and livelihoods, we strengthen resilience by providing cash transfers, life skills training, and financial services to vulnerable families. 
 
Our WASH team ensures access to clean water, hygiene kits, and sanitation to prevent disease. We also offer shelter to displaced families, helping them rebuild their lives with dignity and safety. In child protection, we are dedicated to creating safe environments where children can heal, learn, and grow, free from the threats of violence and exploitation. Our education programs give children the opportunity to continue learning, providing them with hope for a brighter future despite the humanitarian crisis.

Our impact

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3.8 Million

People reached since conflict erupted in 2023

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1.7 Million

Children directly reached under our humanitarian response

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854,130 children

Reached in our health and nutrition interventions in 2023

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215,449 people

Reached with our child poverty programming which include child sensitive protection in 2023

Hamid* (12) with his mother Shaima* has received psychosocial support from a Save the Children clinic in Al Gezira State, Sudan

Hamid*, 12, is from Khartoum in Sudan and has eight brothers and sisters. Before violent conflict forced Hamid and his family to flee their home, he used to play billiards and his PlayStation with his friends. He was in grade 4 and enjoyed learning Arabic and playing football and volleyball at school. Hamid says life at the site where they live now with other displaced families is hard. It’s challenging to find jobs, and his mother works from dawn until dusk to try and provide for her family. Hamid has also struggled to cope with losing friends and family in the conflict and has suffered from mental health issues. Since the outbreak of fighting in Sudan in April 2023, many children have witnessed things no child should ever see, lost or become separated from loved ones and have been forced to flee their homes. More than 6.7 million people have been newly displaced , often living in dire conditions at their arrival points. It is estimated that more than 12,000 people have been killed as a direct impact of violence. Thousands more have died due to a lack of healthcare and basic supplies. Half of the population, nearly 25 million people, require humanitarian aid, including 13 million children. Save the Children’s support: Save the Children has deployed its Emergency Health Unit to support mobile health teams in White Nile and Al Gezira States to provide essential healthcare services for host communities and displaced children and adults. Services include treatment for diseases, vaccinations, maternal and child healthcare, the management of malnutrition cases and psychosocial support. Hamid has received ongoing psychosocial support from a psychotherapist at a Save the Children mobile clinic who has helped him to start to process what he has witnessed and how his life has changed. Hamid and his family also attend the clinic to receive treatment for other health issues. Mosaab Hassouna / Save the Children

News & Stories

24 Dec 2024

New famine report is the final warning for children in Sudan

"Children are famine’s first victims and are already facing avoidable and excruciating deaths due to malnutrition and disease," Mary Lupul, Save the Children's Sudan Humanitarian Director.

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2 Dec 2024

Families resorting to desperate measures with no end in sight to famine conditions in Sudan's Zamzam camp

Families living in Sudan’s Zamzam refugee camp are resorting to desperate measure like eating one meal a day and some as far as eating animal feed to survive after four months of famine has children facing extreme food shortages with 19 months of fighting taking toll on besieged North Darfur region, Save the Children said.

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27 Nov 2024

SUDAN: First humanitarian cargo flight with essential medical supplies for children lands in Blue Nile state after 19 months of conflict

The planeload of medical supplies and medicines including antibiotics such as amoxicillin, which is used to treat bacterial infections such as pneumonia, landed at  Damazine Airport on 25 November. 

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