In Sudan, the prolonged humanitarian and political crisis, further escalated by the violent clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that erupted last April, is profoundly affecting human rights, particularly in terms of access to healthcare, nutrition, and food services.
As the conflict is currently concentrated in urban areas, particularly in the capital Khartoum, many people at risk of being without water and food have fled from the urban centers to rural areas in the southeastern part of the country.
In this context, CISP has recently initiated a project in collaboration with the local healthcare system to improve the nutritional status and food security of families with malnourished children, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women.
The project - "Provision of life-saving and life-sustaining services to populations affected by the crisis, host communities, migrants, and refugees in Gedaref State" – is funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and implemented in partnership with the French NGO Première Urgence Internationale (PUI).
The project adopts a holistic approach that considers various sectors such as health, agriculture, and food security and addressing the complex challenges associated with food and nutrition scarcity in crisis-affected areas. This comprehensive approach reflects the project's objectives to provide essential nutritional and healthcare services, alongside supporting income sources in areas like Al Fashaga and Basonda. The overall goal is to enhance food security, nutrition, and health conditions in crisis-affected communities.
Three crucial actions
- Improving the quality and access to essential nutritional services for vulnerable families by strengthening healthcare facilities, with a particular focus on the referral system for acute malnutrition cases, along with community initiatives to educate families on how to prepare nutritious diets using locally available ingredients.
- Enhancing the self-sufficiency of vulnerable families to cope with food crises through multifunctional financial assistance, support for homegrown nutrient-rich horticulture, food preservation, and the creation of additional income opportunities in the intervention areas.
- Reducing the vulnerability to malnutrition among pregnant women, mothers, and their children through the improvement of healthcare infrastructure and equipment, support for routine immunization programs, training and capacity building for healthcare personnel, and the provision of sexual and reproductive health services.