Save the Children Health and Nutrition team in Central Darfur transport food and equipment across a flooded plain using a wooden raft. As heavy rains pound many parts of Sudan, our teams are going the extra mile to deliver humanitarian aid to vulnerable children and mothers.
Heavy rain and floods hit areas in Darfur, Sudan, leading to displacement of thousands of people and hundreds of deaths. Approximately 21,370 individuals were displaced by floods, including 6,925 in North Darfur. Sudan also witnesses multiple disease outbreaks, including cholera, malaria and measles amid a collapsing public healthcare system. As part of our Cholera response, Save the Children is actively working to ensure access to clean water, sanitation facilities, and hygiene promotion activities to prevent the spread of water borne diseases in conflict-affected areas.
Save the Children Health and Nutrition team in Central Darfur transport food and equipment across a flooded plain. As heavy rains pound many parts of Sudan, our teams are going the extra mile to deliver humanitarian aid to vulnerable children and mothers.
Children and Families at Risk of Being Cut Off From Food and Medical Supplies as Rains Cut Access to Sudan's Central and West Darfur States
Dr. Bashir Kamal Eldin Hamid, Save the Children's Health and Nutrition Director, said:
"Heavy downpours and widespread flooding in Sudan is compounding the suffering for families and children, especially those displaced by more than 16 months of fighting, with contamination of water and decimation of health facilities causing a major outbreak of cholera.
"Five days ago, raging floodwaters destroyed the only bridge connecting Central and West Darfur states, creating a bottleneck on the West Darfur side of the river, with critical humanitarian aid unable to reach over 880,000 internally displaced people sheltering in Central Darfur.
"Unless a new route is found or we are able to airlift humanitarian aid, we are concerned that children are likely to go for days or even weeks without food and medicine, putting them at increased risk of malnutrition and other diseases.
"As the floodwaters swept part of the bridge, Save the Children teams saw people take very dangerous and desperate moves by attempting to cross from one side of the river to the other using a wooden raft, putting their lives at risk. A video clip seen by Save the Children shows a raft made of wood and metallic barrels capsize, throwing people into the river. Young men can also be seen diving into the river to save people from being swept away.
"Since the start of the rains in June, flooding has added another layer of difficulty to delivering humanitarian aid to people in dire need. Save the Children is calling for the international community to step up and release the necessary funding and resources to rebuild the bridge and restore this vital connection between the two states so as to ensure displaced families and children in Central Darfur have unhindered access to food, medicine and other humanitarian services."
###
Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. Since our founding more than 100 years ago, we've been advocating for the rights of children worldwide. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming the future we share. Our results, financial statements and charity ratings reaffirm that Save the Children is a charity you can trust. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.