A community kitchen was see providing meals for unaccompanied and orphaned children in Nyala, the capital of Sudan’s South Darfur State – amid dire conditions following years of conflict.
Footage filmed on Monday shows children and women inside the shelter, where women prepared food as children waited for their supper. The footage also shows volunteers distributing food to the children, as well as a child sleeping on the floor.
“We have 500 children: children who have lost both parents, children who have lost one parent, homeless children, and children from Dar Al-Maiqoma. They are all registered with me,” said the shelter’s supervisor, Sawsan Adam Abkar Yacoub.
“We need supplies and medical equipment, as well as sleeping essentials and mattresses, as we have nothing to sleep on. The children sleep on the floor,” she added.
Abdul Rahim Al-Sheikh Al-Tom Al-Nour, a volunteer with the Humanitarian Response Room in Nyala, said the services provided include two meals a day: breakfast and lunch.
He stressed that needs remain substantial, including shelter, water and healthcare. “We hope to carry out additional interventions in the coming period, including psychosocial support and improvements to the environment, because health conditions are very poor,” he added.
The kitchen was set up just last month.
Since fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces in April 2023, the conflict has killed more than 20,000 people and injured another 33,000, while around 12 million people have been displaced. More than 25.6 million Sudanese are facing acute food insecurity, according to United Nations figures.
Source: Viory
