TORONTO, Monday 24 April 2023 – Save the Children committed on Monday to staying in Sudan to help children and their families and vowed to resume some suspended programmes as soon as possible to get life-saving supplies to those in need.
The child rights organization said it had moved some international staff to a safe location and could not comment further for security reasons. It is also confirming the whereabouts of the rest of the organization’s staff in Sudan to ensure their safety. Save the Children employs about 500 people in Sudan.
Arshad Malik, Country Director of Save the Children Sudan, said:
“There has never been a more important time to affirm our dedication to Sudan and we are committed to stay and deliver. Children’s lives are at risk as supplies of food and water dry up and the health system has plunged into chaos. Save the Children Sudan will not abandon its work, staff or the communities we have served since 1983.
“Before the current escalation of violence and mass displacement, Sudan was already going through its worst-ever humanitarian emergency due to years of conflict, climate-induced natural disasters, disease outbreaks, and economic crisis. Now we’re seeing more children than ever going hungry. About 12% of the country’s 22 million children are going without enough food daily.
“We have suspended some of our programmes in Sudan due to concerns about the safety of our staff, children and our operations but some continue and we will resume our work as soon as it is safe to do so. In order to resume our activities, we urge the warring parties to agree to a ceasefire, protect humanitarian access and uphold international humanitarian law. Sudan’s children deserve a future free of violence and a home protected from conflict.”
Save the Children has worked in Sudan since 1983 to provide humanitarian relief to people affected by the drought in western Sudan. Since then, Save the Children has continued programming for children and families affected by conflict, displacement, extreme poverty, hunger and a lack of basic services. Many children and families we serve are among the most vulnerable and hardest to reach.
In 2022, Save the Children directly reached 2.1 million people, with 1.5 million children, with programming focused on child protection, access to quality education, health and nutrition support and responding to emergencies.
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Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In Canada 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 their lives and the future we share.