Hope for Sudan

Rania’s* children often rummaged the muddy ground and barren trees for seeds, twigs, or leaves to eat. Flies would swarm their mouths and eyes. When night came, the family curled up on the dirt floor and tried to sleep despite their growling stomachs. 

Life in Sudan didn’t always look like this. Rania once enjoyed a tight-knit community of family and friends. Her five children were all in school and earning good grades, and they didn’t worry about having enough food. 

But the civil war that has been raging for more than a year finally reached her village. Armed groups pillaged the village and local market, and killed anyone in their way. Rania and her husband decided that she would flee with their youngest three children and that he would stay behind under the care of their two eldest sons. Her husband had been disabled years ago during war and couldn’t make the journey out of the village. 

With no time for teary goodbyes, Rania and the children escaped into the scorched wilderness with only the clothes on their backs and a little water. After several days roaming across the rugged landscape, they stumbled upon a crowded camp of displaced people in the remote region of Kordofan. They assembled a single-room stick shelter, but without community, food, or money their hope was fading.

“I miss everything about my former life,” Rania said. “It has been painful. I don’t know if my husband and children are alive, or if they have enough food and water. I am worried, but I can’t do anything.”

FOOD FOR THE STARVING

Kordofan has swelled in population since conflict broke out in the country a year ago. The impoverished area saw an influx of nearly 700,000 desperate people like Rania who were seeking refuge, amplifying the population’s already dire food situation. 

To worsen the crisis, the most recent harvest of sorghum—the region’s staple—was devastated by drought and swarms of locusts, which eliminated 40 percent of the usual food supply.

A few weeks after arriving in the camp, Rania’s family received a food basket from Samaritan’s Purse. Each basket was filled with enough corn, beans, salt, and oil to sustain a family for a month. 

“The food has helped fill our stomachs and make us strong,” the weary mother said. “I still have hope that if we survive—and my husband and other kids live—we will be able to meet again when there is peace.”

We also gave her soap, a mosquito net, cooking equipment, and a tarp to cover the straw roof. “The roof didn’t block the rain at all, but now we can sleep on dry ground when the storms come,” she said. 

Rania is among thousands of displaced people on the brink of starvation who received life-saving food from Samaritan’s Purse in Jesus’ Name. Severely malnourished children were also given a special nutrient-dense peanut paste supplement. 

In addition to emergency food, our multifaceted response in the region has included mobile medical units and shelter supplies. Our sanitation and hygiene projects, such as digging freshwater wells and pit latrines, has helped to prevent waterborne illness. 

Our staff is also helping to meet spiritual needs as we share the eternal hope of the Gospel. We praise God for the individuals in Sudan who have come to faith in Christ through our ministry and work.

TRUSTING IN JESUS

Another downtrodden mother, Jamira*, also received critical food assistance from our team. Jamira and her four children travelled for three weeks and logged nearly 500 miles to escape the conflict. When they finally arrived at a camp for displaced people, they were exhausted and out of food. 

Jamira was grateful to connect with our staff. “Samaritan’s Purse has come to help in our time of need. I am relieved,” she said. 

Her children, who are suffering from prolonged malnutrition, received the peanut paste supplement. The family also benefits from a freshwater well dug by Samaritan’s Purse.

Jamira’s husband is a soldier who could not flee with the rest of the family. She hasn’t had any contact with him since they left. “I fear for his life,” she said. 

Jamira has continued to trust in Jesus Christ during this harrowing time. Not many people in the camp are Christians, but she has remained steadfast in her faith. 

“Before we left, I took the time to pray with my kids. I said, ‘If you are God, protect us. Whatever happens on the way is Your will,’” she said. 

Jamira prays that one day her children can resume a normal life and their family will be reunited. 

“My hope is that there will be peace in Sudan,” she said. 

*Names changed for security.