Editor’s note: This article contains descriptions of sexual assault and violence that some may find disturbing.

In Kapoeta North County, South Sudan, Nanyait carries a story that thousands of women know too well – a story of violence sanctioned by culture, trauma compounded by rejection, and survival that demands more courage than most will ever need.

At 34, Nanyait is rebuilding her life a small step at a time. But the journey to where she stands today, as an independent businesswoman and mother, required surviving what no woman should ever endure.

When culture condones violence

Married at just 14 years old, Nanyait spent decades in a marriage marked by abuse and hard labour. As she grew older, her husband grew tired of her. What happened next reveals the brutal reality of harmful practices that masquerade as tradition.

Her husband arranged for 2 men to sexually assault her – a cruel practice in some Toposa communities where older wives are sometimes given to other men. In Nanyait’s case, it wasn’t consensual. It was orchestrated violence.

When Nanyait discovered she was pregnant as a result of the assault, her husband’s response was to cast her out completely – abandoning her while pregnant and denying her access to their 3 children. When she fled, the children followed her, trying to stay with their mother, but her husband threatened her and forced her to stay away from them.

She returned to her family’s home with nothing, carrying not just a child but the weight of a community’s judgment.

“I had lost hope,” Nanyait recalls. “At my age, returning to my family house was really shameful, but I had nowhere to go.

“Worst was my husband refusing me to have access to my kids. I’m even talking to you because you’re not one of the community members. I have become a laughingstock. People call me names.”

In South Sudan’s patriarchal communities and particularly among pastoral groups in Kapoeta, women have no voice. Deep-rooted beliefs that view women as property and sources of wealth fuel forced and early marriages. When violence occurs, women are blamed. When they speak out, they face being cast out.

A space to heal and a chance to rebuild

A neighbour’s referral changed everything. At Islamic Relief South Sudan’s Women and Girls Friendly Space, Nanyait found what her own community had denied her: safety, dignity and support.

The project’s staff provided crucial counselling and connected her with antenatal services. During routine testing, Nanyait discovered she was HIV-positive, another devastating blow, but this time she wasn’t alone. She received ongoing counselling and was enrolled in skills-building classes.

“To everyone I was a laughingstock, but Islamic Relief and this place is the only place I feel comfortable in because we are many women and we share our stories,” Nanyait explains.

“We cry together and laugh together. When I’m here I feel so happy, so I don’t miss any classes.”

At the centre, Nanyait developed practical skills, like knitting bedsheets and creating beadwork. More importantly, she found her voice again. She started to sell her handmade items, then used the income to open a small shop selling cooking oil, salt, onions and other essentials. Today, she supports herself and her young child independently.

Why this work matters more than ever

Nanyait’s story is sadly not unique. Across South Sudan, harmful cultural practices continue to devastate women’s lives. Gender-based violence thrives in communities where men hold absolute power and women are systematically marginalised in decision-making and denied access to resources.

Through the PROGRESS II project, Islamic Relief South Sudan has reached 13,500 individuals across Kapoeta North County and Kapoeta East County communities ravaged by successive droughts and conflicts. The project has provided gender-based violence awareness to more than 1,970 women, and case management services to 150 survivors.

But awareness alone isn’t enough. Real change requires challenging social norms, working with faith and community leaders, and advocating alongside government partners to dismantle the structures that enable violence against women.

“I thank Islamic Relief for loving us and making us feel human again when our own people left us,” Nanyait says.

Women subjected to violence don’t need pity – they need safe spaces, practical support, economic empowerment and communities brave enough to name harmful practices for what they are.

As we mark the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence, Nanyait’s transformation from victim to survivor to independent businesswoman reminds us that change is urgent but possible. When women are given the tools, support and space to rebuild their lives, they don’t just survive – they reclaim their power.

Every woman deserves what Nanyait found: a place where her voice matters, her trauma is acknowledged, and her future belongs to her alone.

Islamic Relief’s gender justice work addresses the root causes of violence against women and girls, including harmful practices that are often wrongly attributed to faith. We work in partnership with communities, faith leaders and local authorities to create lasting change. To support our life-saving programmes by donating today.

Bulan Oktober menandakan genap dua tahun serangan tanpa henti terhadap Gaza. Hakikat bahawa konflik ini masih berterusan menunjukkan kegagalan masyarakat antarabangsa untuk menghentikan jenayah perang yang berlaku setiap hari di wilayah tersebut.

Sejak serangan bermula, lebih 66,000 nyawa telah terkorban, termasuk sekitar 20,000 kanak-kanak, manakala lebih 169,000 orang lagi cedera.

Hidup dalam Ketakutan dan Ketidaktentuan

Kehidupan di Gaza kini diselubungi ketakutan, kelaparan dan penderitaan. Kanak-kanak meninggal dunia akibat kebuluran yang berpunca daripada sekatan buatan manusia, manakala serangan berterusan mengorbankan lebih ramai orang awam setiap hari.

Sekatan Israel telah menjerat jutaan penduduk Gaza dalam perjuangan harian untuk mendapatkan makanan, air, tempat tinggal dan ubat-ubatan; segala keperluan asas untuk terus hidup.

Dipaksa Berpindah Berulang Kali

Hampir semua penduduk Gaza telah dipaksa meninggalkan rumah mereka, kebanyakannya berkali-kali. 90% keluarga telah berpindah sekurang-kurangnya enam kali, manakala sebahagian lagi terpaksa melarikan diri lebih banyak kali termasuk kakitangan Islamic Relief sendiri.

Kini keadaan semakin membimbangkan apabila serangan ke atas Bandar Gaza semakin hebat dan penduduk diarahkan berpindah keluar. Namun bagi kebanyakan penduduk, berpindah bukanlah pilihan. Kosnya terlalu tinggi, tempat perlindungan terlalu sedikit, dan ramai bimbang mereka tidak akan dapat kembali ke rumah sendiri.

Mereka yang berjaya berpindah pula hidup dalam kawasan yang sesak dan tidak bersih, dengan penyakit dan kebuluran yang semakin menular. Ratusan ribu orang kini tinggal dalam khemah di tepi pantai, di runtuhan bangunan yang musnah, dan di sepanjang jalan raya.

Kanak-kanak Gaza: Generasi yang Hilang

Tiada yang lebih terkesan daripada kanak-kanak Gaza. Mereka bukan sahaja berjuang untuk terus hidup, tetapi juga kehilangan masa depan dan harapan.

Lebih 132,000 kanak-kanak kini berdepan risiko maut akibat kebuluran, dan semua kanak-kanak bawah lima tahun berisiko mengalami kekurangan zat makanan teruk yang boleh memberi kesan jangka panjang terhadap kesihatan mereka.

Generasi muda Gaza kini telah tiga tahun tidak bersekolah, dan kesan psikologi akibat trauma serta kehilangan semakin ketara.

Sumbangan Anda, Harapan Mereka

Walaupun sekatan Israel menyekat kemasukan bantuan kemanusiaan, Islamic Relief terus menjadi talian hayat bagi rakyat Gaza yang amat memerlukan.

Dengan sokongan anda, kakitangan dan rakan pelaksana kami terus menyalurkan bantuan menyelamatkan nyawa. Terkini, kami telah mengagihkan makanan panas kepada 28,560 penerima manfaat dan menyampaikan 931 pek makanan kepada keluarga yang kehilangan tempat tinggal.

Selain itu, kami telah memperluas program bantuan untuk ibu mengandung, ibu baru bersalin dan bayi. Kami telah menjalankan hampir 400 pemeriksaan kesihatan untuk wanita hamil dan membantu proses kelahiran, termasuk pembedahan caesarean (C-section).

Sepanjang dua tahun ini, Islamic Relief sentiasa menyesuaikan tindak balas kami mengikut keadaan di lapangan, sambil memastikan keselamatan kakitangan, rakan pelaksana dan komuniti yang kami bantu. Antara bentuk bantuan yang telah dijalankan termasuk:

• Agihan buah-buahan dan sayuran segar di pusat perlindungan sementara
• Penyediaan makanan panas dan kit kebersihan kepada penduduk yang berpindah
• Agihan makanan sedia dimakan, pek makanan dan daging korban
• Sokongan psikososial kepada kanak-kanak yang mengalami trauma
• Membekalkan air bersih melalui lori tangki
• Menyalurkan bekalan perubatan ke hospital dan pusat kesihatan
• Menubuhkan pusat rawatan perubatan sementara dengan ubat-ubatan dan kelengkapan
• Menyediakan suplemen nutrien berasaskan lipid bersama Program Makanan Sedunia (WFP)
• Membersihkan tempat perlindungan
• Menyalurkan bantuan tunai pelbagai guna supaya keluarga boleh membeli keperluan utama
• Memperluas Program Penajaan Anak Yatim kepada lebih 21,000 kanak-kanak

Bersuara untuk Kemanusiaan

Segala usaha ini sedikit sebanyak mengurangkan penderitaan, namun rakyat Gaza memerlukan lebih daripada sekadar bantuan.

Rakyat Palestin telah menunjukkan ketabahan yang luar biasa, tetapi setiap insan mempunyai hadnya. Sudah tiba masanya pemimpin dunia bertindak tegas dengan menuntut gencatan senjata menyeluruh dan mendesak Israel supaya membuka semula semua lintasan sempadan bagi membolehkan bantuan kemanusiaan sampai kepada mereka yang amat memerlukan.

Kenyataan kecaman semata-mata tidak lagi mencukupi. Untuk menyelamatkan nyawa, kerajaan di seluruh dunia perlu mengambil tindakan bermakna – menghentikan penjualan senjata, menggantung perjanjian perdagangan, serta mengharamkan urusan perdagangan dan pelaburan dengan penempatan haram Israel.

Sambil kita terus menyeru tindakan antarabangsa, bantulah kami untuk terus menyalurkan bantuan dan harapan kepada rakyat Gaza.

Sumbangkan kepada tabung Rayuan Palestin Islamic Relief Malaysia hari ini.

19 Ogos 2025 – Hari ini, komuniti kemanusiaan di seluruh dunia memperingati Hari Kemanusiaan Sedunia, satu detik penting untuk mengiktiraf peranan luar biasa para petugas bantuan, serta memberikan penghormatan tulus kepada mereka yang telah mengorbankan nyawa atau mempertaruhkan keselamatan demi menyelamatkan orang lain.

Hari ini juga menjadi ruang untuk kita merenung penderitaan jutaan insan yang terperangkap dalam krisis termasuk di Yaman dan memperbaharui komitmen kita bersama untuk melindungi saluran hayat kemanusiaan yang menjadi nadi harapan mereka.

Menjadikan pekerja kemanusiaan sebagai sasaran bukan sahaja melanggar Undang-Undang Kemanusiaan Antarabangsa, tetapi juga merupakan serangan tidak langsung terhadap jutaan orang terjejas yang mereka bantu. Pekerja kemanusiaan mesti dilindungi pada setiap masa dan harus dibenarkan untuk melaksanakan kerja penyelamatan nyawa mereka dengan selamat, tanpa gangguan atau sekatan yang tidak wajar.

Setakat tahun ini, 17 insiden keganasan terhadap kakitangan dan aset kemanusiaan telah direkodkan di seluruh Yaman. Puluhan kakitangan daripada PBB, organisasi bukan kerajaan dan pertubuhan masyarakat sivil masih ditahan secara sewenang-wenangnya oleh pihak berkuasa de facto, kebanyakannya lebih daripada setahun. Komuniti kemanusiaan terus menyeru agar semua pekerja bantuan dilindungi serta pembebasan segera tanpa syarat terhadap rakan sekerja yang ditahan.

Hari Kemanusiaan Sedunia tahun ini tiba pada waktu keperluan kemanusiaan semakin meningkat. Yaman kini menghadapi krisis kelaparan ketiga terbesar di dunia, dengan lebih daripada 18 juta orang dijangka menghadapi ketidakamanan makanan yang parah menjelang September. Kadar kekurangan zat makanan dan wabak penyakit semakin membimbangkan, dengan kesan yang sangat serius kepada kanak-kanak di Yaman.

Risiko perlindungan semakin meningkat, khususnya untuk wanita dan kanak-kanak perempuan, penduduk yang dipindahkan secara dalaman, pelarian, migran, orang kurang upaya serta kumpulan berisiko lain.

Walaupun komuniti kemanusiaan memberi keutamaan kepada tindak balas untuk membantu kelompok paling rentan, perkhidmatan asas yang sangat diperlukan untuk kelangsungan hidup wanita, lelaki, kanak-kanak lelaki dan perempuan semakin berkurangan akibat pemotongan dana serta kekangan operasi. Hal ini mewujudkan situasi berbahaya di mana keperluan semakin meningkat pada masa sokongan pula semakin berkurang.

Namun, meskipun berdepan cabaran besar, para pekerja kemanusiaan di Yaman tidak pernah berhenti dan tidak akan menyerah dalam usaha menyelamatkan nyawa serta meringankan penderitaan penduduk di seluruh negara, sambil bekerjasama rapat dengan komuniti yang mereka bantu.

Sepanjang tahun ini sahaja, sebanyak 155 organisasi bantuan telah menyalurkan bantuan penting kepada lebih daripada 3.2 juta orang setiap bulan. Bantuan ini merangkumi bekalan air bersih, makanan, penjagaan kesihatan, perlindungan, tempat perlindungan, barangan keperluan asas, serta sokongan dalam bentuk bantuan tunai.

“Ia bukan sekadar satu profesion tetapi lebih daripada itu. Ia adalah satu panggilan untuk melangkah ke tempat-tempat yang sering dilupakan, mendekati mereka yang terpinggir, dan membawa harapan, kelegaan serta memulihkan maruah ketika ia paling diperlukan,” kata Bushra, seorang pekerja bantuan dari Yaman.

Hari ini, kita berdiri bersama semua pekerja kemanusiaan di Yaman dan di seluruh dunia yang berjuang melawan rintangan dan mempertaruhkan nyawa demi berkhidmat kepada mereka yang paling memerlukan.

Masyarakat antarabangsa mesti bangkit dan #ActForHumanity demi melindungi mereka yang berada di lapangan, dan memastikan misi kemanusiaan dapat diteruskan tanpa halangan.

On World Environment Day, Jamie Williams, Islamic Relief’s Senior Policy Advisor on Poverty Reduction, discusses the dangers of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans and the need for large companies to be held accountable for the plastic waste they produce.

This World Environment Day, Islamic Relief is signing Faith in the Ocean, an international multifaith declaration recognising the profound relationship between humanity and the ocean, uniting all people of faith or spiritual tradition in our commitment to protect and preserve the ocean.

Among the many concerns about our oceans is pollution from plastic waste.

Driven by public concern about plastic pollution and increasing scientific evidence of the resulting harm to human health and the environment, the United Nations in 2022 convened an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, INC, to produce international laws to control plastic pollution. This included the 10-15 million tonnes of plastic leaking into the marine environment each year – a number expected to more than triple by 2050.

Plastic drives climate change

Plastic pollution, including micro – and nano – plastics, has been found at the Earth’s highest heights and the ocean’s deepest depths. It is creating an ever-growing health crisis, with ‘forever’ chemicals in plastic products and waste leaching into the human body and the natural environment, creating havoc for hormone, digestive, and nervous systems. In 2022 there were reports of plastic particles found in human lungs and blood, and a 2021 report found microplastics in human placenta.

Discussions at the fifth session of INC-5 in November last year were meant to reach a new agreement to end plastic pollution. They didn’t. As we wait for the meeting to restart this year, the mountain of pollution, which grows through the whole life cycle of plastic, continues to grow and wreck to our environment and our bodies.

Plastic production relies on oil, making corporate plastic use a direct driver of climate change. Progress towards a treaty on plastic pollution has been hindered by a row over the need to include cuts to the $712 billion (approx. £610 billion) plastic production industry in the treaty. 

At previous talks, high-income countries were accused of bowing to pressure from fossil fuel companies and industry lobbyists to steer clear of any reductions in production. Instead, they argued that reducing pollution is a question of how the plastic is made and what happens after it is sold and used.

Coca-Cola, the world’s top branded plastic waste producer, acknowledged in 2022 that reusable packaging was “among the most effective ways to reduce waste” and committed to a goal of reaching 25% reusable packaging by 2030.

But that pledge was quietly dropped in its latest sustainability roadmap, released in December 2024. The company’s updated goals instead focus on increasing recycled content in packaging and boosting collection rates – while stressing the significant challenges in recycling soda bottles and shifting consumer habits.

Shifting the blame

Environmental advocates have long warned against over-reliance on recycling, arguing that it often serves to shift blame on to consumers rather than addressing the root of the crisis

By 2030, Coca-Cola products will account for an estimated 602 million kilograms of plastic waste entering the world’s oceans and waterways each year, according to a stark new analysis published by the non-profit Oceana.

That is enough plastic to fill the stomachs of 18 million blue whales.

Food and beverage companies are disproportionately large polluters. Coca-Cola, followed by PepsiCo, Nestlé, Danone and Altria, and other companies have been identified as producing 50% of the plastics polluting the environment.

Brand names can be used to hold plastic companies accountable for their items found polluting the oceans. Phasing out single-use and short-lived plastic products by the largest polluters would greatly reduce global plastic pollution.

We can all take a look at our own habits and refrain from purchasing plastic packaged food and drinks. Bottled water is often just tap water in plastic. Each soda, juice or yoghurt will add to the plastic mountain. Together, we can put pressure on the brands to change their policies.

And this World Environment Day, we should be aware of international efforts to eliminate this deadly pollution and urge lawmakers to act in the name of creation, not profit.

We need, as the Faith in the Ocean declaration says, to ensure a healthy, sustainable, and thriving ocean in the web of life for future generations.

In Laba-Adle village, Somalia, Mulki’s days used to revolve around collecting water. Each morning, the 30-year-old would set out before dawn, her feet kicking up dust as she walked 8 kilometres to the nearest water source. When she returned, it would be with just enough water to last her 5 children another day.

But when droughts in her area worsened, Mulki joined the growing number of Somalis forced to buy water in plastic containers from distant towns, watching helplessly as the empty bottles piled up around their village.

“The water kept us alive, but the plastic was choking us,” Mulki says, standing beside the borehole that changed everything for her family.

Mountains of plastic

When drought soaks up natural water sources, people in this climate-vulnerable part of Somalia turn to packaged water – creating mountains of single-use plastics with little or no way to manage the waste.

Islamic Relief’s team saw this firsthand when launching the Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Change project in 2023. “We came to address water scarcity,” says project coordinator Abdifatah Adam. “But we quickly realised that we had to tackle 2 crises at once – both the lack of clean water and the growing plastic waste problem.”

The project drilled a new borehole, which did more than provide clean water – it broke the plastic dependency cycle. Where plastic waste once accumulated in toxic piles, the village became noticeably cleaner. And families, who once had to spend their meagre incomes on bottled water, had a little bit more money in their pockets thanks to their new sustainable water source.

A day in the new normal

Mulki’s morning routine has now transformed. At sunrise, she walks just minutes from her home to fill containers at the borehole, while her goats drink deeply from a trough nearby.

“Before, I spent 6 hours each day fetching water,” Mulki says. “Now I have time to milk the goats, sell the milk at market, and still help my children prepare for school.”

Mulki’s husband, Ahmed, tends their new vegetable garden, irrigated with borehole water, another change for the family.

These changes go beyond the family home. At the local market, plastic water bottles are becoming less common as more families gain access to safe, refillable water.  Children now play where plastic waste once littered the ground. Most remarkably, the village has begun repurposing discarded plastic bottles as planters for drought-resistant crops, a grassroots innovation born from necessity.

The bigger picture

Standing by the borehole at dusk, Mulki reflects on how much has changed, and how far there is still to go. “We have water now, but our children need schools,” she says, watching her daughters chase fireflies. “We need healthcare. Better homes.”

These aren’t just development needs – they are the next frontiers in climate resilience. Access to education empowers communities with knowledge to adapt to a changing environment. Reliable healthcare helps families withstand the physical toll of drought, disease and displacement. Safe housing protects against climate extremes. Islamic Relief is already working on solutions that integrate these priorities, recognising that resilience goes beyond water, laying the groundwork for safer and more informed communities.

But for today, in this small village where plastic bottles no longer outnumber trees, there is hope where once there was only thirst.

This World Environment Day 2024, as global attention turns to ‘Ending Plastic Pollution’, This village’s story reveals an uncomfortable truth: our plastic waste crisis often begins where basic needs go unmet. In communities like Mulki’s, plastic water bottles were a desperate solution to the deeper crisis of water scarcity.

The implications are profound. While cleanup efforts remain vital, Somalia’s experience shows that the most effective solution to plastic pollution may lie upstream – quite literally. By addressing the root causes that force communities to rely on disposable plastics, we can stop the problem at its source. Islamic Relief’s borehole project demonstrates this powerfully: where sustainable water systems exist, plastic waste reduces.

As we mark World Environment Day, perhaps our greatest opportunity lies not just in cleaning up plastic waste, but in removing the need for it altogether – one community, one water source at a time.

Mulki’s story shows what’s possible. With your help, we can turn this single borehole’s success into a wave of change. Donate today to support bringing sustainable solutions to more communities, because no mother should have to choose between her family’s survival and the planet’s health.

In the fading light of yet another flooded evening, Rupali faced an impossible but all-too-familiar choice: risk disease by using the collapsed latrine behind her home, or wait for the cover of darkness to find privacy in the open fields. For 26 years, this was the daily reality for villagers in Bhabadaha – a low-lying area in Monirampur subdistrict, near the city of Jashore. The region remains persistently waterlogged due to man-made drainage failures, earning it the name ‘the suffering of Bhabadaha’ – a phrase that captures both the physical hardship and emotional toll of living with constant flooding.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. When engineers in the 1980s built embankments and sluice gates to control seasonal floods in the area, they accidentally created a permanent inland sea. Today, over 1 million people across southwestern Bangladesh navigate life with water lapping at their thresholds. But Rupali’s story isn’t just about rising waters, it’s about inventive solutions, and how a project designed to restore human dignity became a blueprint for environmental resilience.

No respite

Before their land was flooded, Monirampur’s residents’ suffering was only temporary – when the monsoons subsided, the land dried and their latrines were above water again. But after, there was no respite.

“We stopped eating before bedtime,” Rupali says. Her husband, Ajit, says that families rationed meals to minimise bathroom trips. The alternative – using bamboo made hanging structure (Shako)   – risked disease, snake bite, danger and humiliation. Pregnant women, children and elderly people suffered most.

In trying to control nature, humans had created a disaster that stripped away basic dignities. On top of this, plastic waste from makeshift sanitation solutions choked the remaining waterways, damaging the environment.

An innovative solution to a unique problem

When Islamic Relief’s team arrived in Monirampur in 2023, they didn’t bring prefabricated solutions. Instead, they asked, “what would work here?”

The answer emerged through months of collaboration with engineers and villagers – a deceptively simple structure that defied the waters. The climate-smart latrine stood on sturdy pillars, its concrete base rising 2 feet above the highest flood line. A clever gate valve system allows waste to be safely contained when water levels are high and processed when they lower. Equally importantly, the latrine was made using local materials – no plastic sheeting.

For Rupali, the change was immediate. “The first morning I didn’t have to plan my day around finding a private place” she says. “You cannot understand what that freedom means. After 26 years of living with shame and discomfort.”

Ripple effects

What began as 80 latrines has sparked a quiet revolution. Neighbouring villages have now replicated the design, while women’s groups are training others in climate-resilient construction. While Bhabadaha’s long-standing struggle stems from waterlogging caused by failed drainage systems – not plastic pollution – the community’s journey toward adaptation has had unexpected environmental benefits.

As people regained their dignity and stability, they also began addressing other challenges – like plastic waste that once clogged their few remaining waterways. Inspired by Islamic Relief Bangladesh, some villagers have even started making adaptive latrines using recycled rubber materials, reducing reliance on plastic sheeting and demonstrating how small innovations can lead to broader environmental gains.

This World Environment Day, as the world focuses on the theme of ‘Ending Plastic Pollution’, Bhabadaha offers a profound lesson: meaningful environmental solutions must begin with human dignity. Locally led adaptation is the best way of ensuring using local knowledge and skill for problem solution. Giving access to the financial resources vulnerable women can contribute in climate induced problem solving to improve their quality of life, and they’ll seek to protect their environment too.

Your support can help Islamic Relief change the lives of people affected by climate change in Bangladesh and worldwide. Donate today.

The first time I met the young Sudanese woman she was kneeling in the dust outside her makeshift shelter in an IDP camp, her three-year-old daughter limp in her arms. The child’s breathing was shallow, her tiny ribcage pressing against skin stretched taut like parchment. Around them, the camp vibrated with the quiet despair of thousands who had fled here, not for safety, but because there was simply nowhere else to go.

“At home, we ate a half meal in a day,” she told me. “Now, no food at home”

I have worked in humanitarian crises, but what is happening in Sudan today is different. This is not just a food crisis, it is the systematic unravelling of an entire nation. As we mark World Hunger Day, over 25 million Sudanese, half the country, now face acute food insecurity. Of these, 8.5 million stand at the brink of famine. These aren’t abstract numbers.

The anatomy of a man-made crisis

Sudan’s descent into hunger is no accident of nature. It is the direct consequence of more than two years of brutal war, compounded by international indifference. In many cities, where vibrant markets once bustled with traders, food warehouses now stand bombed-out, looted, and empty. In Al Jazirah, Sudan’s former breadbasket, the armed groups burned their fields and stole their harvests at gunpoint.

The war has shattered every system that might have mitigated this crisis. Inflation has soared beyond 350%, rendering a family’s life savings worthless against the price of a single meal. Banks are non-functional in many areas in the country.  Hospitals have run out of medicines and supplies.

The children we are losing

One of the most devastating realities we are observing now, hunger is quietly taking its toll, and time is running out. The conflict continues and children are the most vulnerable and victims.  16 million children across Sudan are in urgent need of humanitarian aid, among them, 3.9 million is suffering from acute malnutrition, and they are struggling for survival. If there is no urgent action, countless children in Sudan will remain at serious risk before the year’s end.

The silence of the international community

What shocks me most is not the scale of suffering, but the world’s muted response.

While other crises dominate headlines, Sudan’s agony unfolds in the shadows. The UN’s $4.2 billion humanitarian appeal for Sudan remains less than 20% funded. While the need is very high and people are suffering from hunger, the international community is silent on raising funds for Sudan.

The truth is uncomfortable but clear: Sudan’s suffering is being measured against other crises and found wanting. Twenty-four aid workers have been killed here since the war began, more than in any other active conflict this year. Yet there are no emergency summits, no urgent UN resolutions. Just silence.

What must be done

First, we need humanitarian access.  The UN Security Council must move beyond statements and enforce the unimpeded delivery of aid. Starvation cannot be permitted as a weapon of war.

Second, the funding gap must be closed, not next year, not next month, but now. The math is stark: $1.5 billion could feed six million Sudanese for six months. To put that in perspective, it’s less than the global cosmetics industry earns in 36 hours.

Finally, we must plan for the day after. Even if peace came tomorrow, Sudan’s farms are ruined, its economy shattered. Recovery will require seeds, tools, and years of sustained investment. But first, we must ensure there are people left to recover.

A final question

On World Hunger Day, we are reminded that hunger in Sudan is not due to a natural disaster; it is due to the current conflict. The question is not whether we can stop Sudan’s starvation, but whether we will choose to.

The world knows what is happening here. The only thing left to determine is whether it cares.

Islamic Relief has been working in Sudan since 1984, providing emergency relief, healthcare, food and shelter to vulnerable communities. Despite the dangers, our teams remain committed to serving those in need.

Please support our life-saving work by donating to our International Emergency today.

 

When Sarah* fled her home in Omdurman amid the violent eruption of conflict, survival was the only goal. With just a handful of belongings and her frightened family in tow, she embarked on a harrowing escape.

“We crossed the Khartoum-Omdurman bridge on foot,” Sarah recounts. “The elderly were carried on wheelbarrows. Corpses lay swollen on the streets; the smell was unbearable. My children saw horrors that stole their innocence.”

Their initial refuge in Madani was shattered by bombs, forcing Sarah’s family to flee again, this time on donkey carts, until they found themselves in Gedaref in eastern Sudan, a place that offered no promises, only further hardship.

Daily despair

The displaced in Al-Gedaref now live a desperate reality. Housing is scarce, forcing families onto streets or overcrowded shelters.

“We have nothing but the clothes we arrived in,” Sarah shares. “Finding food and water is a daily struggle. Illness is widespread; hunger is devastating. Words can’t fully describe our suffering.”

Her eyes convey a silent plea, speaking volumes beyond her words.

A father’s anguish: “my daughter nearly died from hunger”

Anowar knows hunger intimately. His family survives on two meagre meals each day, often little more than flour porridge. The toll of malnutrition nearly claimed his daughter’s life.

“My daughter’s body swelled from hunger,” Anowar painfully recalls. “Seeing her suffer was unbearable. Thank God she’s better now, but every meal feels like a miracle we can’t always afford. Bread, lentils – simple foods feel like treasures.”

His voice is heavy with the weight of providing for a family on the edge of survival.

Anowar’s ordeal mirrors that of countless displaced families.

“In Omdurman, some days we had no food at all. My children fell sick from malnutrition when we reached here,” he reveals. “Even with help from the clinic, our struggle isn’t over. Food scarcity still haunts us. Some days, we simply do not eat.”

Anowar’s testimony is a stark reminder of the severity of Sudan’s hunger crisis. Elderly residents have died not only from starvation but from the heartbreak of losing homes they hoped to pass down through generations.

Islamic Relief support

Amid the overwhelming despair, Sarah and others have found hope through Islamic Relief’s humanitarian aid. Supplies brought relief, however temporary, to their prolonged suffering.

“Islamic Relief arrived, and we felt hope again,” Sarah shares. “I haven’t even opened the aid bag yet, but its arrival alone reassured us that we aren’t forgotten.”

For Sarah, and Anowar, aid isn’t just food – it’s recognition, compassion, and a lifeline to survival.

Picture: For Sarah* and other displaced families in Gedaref, these supplies bring relief after months of hunger and fear.

“If you have means, please help,” Sarah implores. “Even the simplest acts of kindness can save lives. We’ve survived our darkest days but cannot do this alone.”

Her plea echoes across borders, carrying a universal message: solidarity can ease suffering, compassion can heal wounds, and togetherness can save lives.

Sudan’s hunger crisis is not just a statistic, it’s a devastating human tragedy that demands immediate global action.

Islamic Relief remains committed to aiding Sudan’s displaced families. On World Hunger Day, your support can turn despair into hope. Stand with us and help save lives today.

One month of Israel’s total closure of Gaza is pushing the territory back towards famine, Islamic Relief warns. The hunger crisis is growing more desperate every day, as Israel steps up efforts to make Gaza unliveable by shutting off aid, destroying infrastructure and intensifying deadly attacks on civilians.  

Palestinians in Gaza are being systematically starved. Food is rotting on trucks that are prevented from reaching malnourished children just a few miles away, and vital medicine for sick patients is expiring while blocked at the border. Yesterday all bakeries in Gaza had to close as they ran out of flour and cooking gas. 

Since 2 March, Israel has completely shut all crossings into the territory, preventing any humanitarian or commercial supplies from entering, including food, medicine and fuel.

Doctors report that malnutrition is now rising again among children, and hundreds of thousands of people are facing critical food shortages as supplies run out. Denying people aid and using starvation as a weapon of war is a clear and inhumane violation of international law.

Since the closure, Islamic Relief staff and partners have managed to keep distributing daily food and hot meals to thousands of families, using supplies already within Gaza. But the quantities are decreasing every day and it is getting harder to keep going as many items are running out.

The Israeli military is also further intensifying attacks on civilians, with dozens of people killed in bombing over Eid al Fitr, including young children and pregnant women. Hundreds of thousands of people have once again been ordered to leave their homes in the north and south of Gaza – forcing elderly people, young children, sick patients and people with disabilities to walk miles in search of shelter. Yet nowhere is safe as bombs continue to rain down on shelters, health clinics and densely populated areas.  

International governments, especially Israel’s allies, must urgently demand that Israel allows aid and vital supplies into Gaza, and ends all attacks on civilians.  

For a second Ramadan in a row, millions of people around Sudan will be spending the holy month away from their homes.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed by one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Over half the population is in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, including 16 million children, while famine conditions reported in some parts of the country.

As the conflict continues, it means this Ramadan is one of displacement and suffering for people like Madina and her family.

Forced to flee

“I fled Omdurman on the fifth day of Eid ul Fitr [2024], it was a very hard experience.”

Like thousands of people around Sudan, Madina and her family have been displaced multiple times since the conflict began.

“I first fled to Medani (Jazirah state) and then to Sinnar state where I stayed for 2 months.

“I then returned to Medani, but after it got hit, I moved to Gedaref state. I was warmly welcomed in Gedaref and received so much support.”

‘My heart aches’

Madina is worried about what sort of effects multiple displacements are having on her 8 children.

“The conflict has affected my children’s education. My biggest concern now is my children’s future.

“My heart aches whenever I look at my children.”

In 2024, Islamic Relief reached more than 40,000 people in Sudan through our Ramadan food distribution support programme, providing food to help vulnerable people during the holy month.

Madina and her family received a food parcel from Islamic Relief, so she could feed her children during the holy month. Although incredibly grateful for the support, Madina misses her home.

“I miss Ramadan preparations in my home. I was sad during the first days of Ramadan because I lost my neighbours and loved ones.

Alhamdulilah, I thank Islamic Relief for their support.”

This Ramadan please help us to reach people in need, like Madina. Trust in Allah. Donate Now.