Sudan crisis: an update from our team

Practical Action is continuing to deliver work on the ground in Sudan, despite ongoing conflict.

Millions of Sudanese people celebrated the Eid al Adha festival in the face of the latest breakdown of a ceasefire.

However, our staff continue to coordinate important work.

They are determined to ensure people in rural areas have the knowledge and equipment they need to cope with the devastating effects of climate change before the start of the rainy season.

Their action marks the continuation of Practical Action’s unbroken commitment for more than three decades to support the people of Sudan.

We are building water weirs, water storage systems and delivering tools, seeds, and training, thanks to the relationships we have with the communities and despite insecurity and crippling fuel shortages.

Environmental Conservation Manager, Awadallah Hamid Mohamed Osman said: “The construction of big water weirs in war time is really challenging.

“We have signed the contract with supplier to construct three water weirs, but the companies are facing the problem of how to access fuel.

“I have been able to support the suppliers by making best use of my relationships, and I will continue to do this until the finishing of the construction.

“The communication with different people to facilitate the work is particularly challenging, because of bad internet connection and mobile network. Most the time the signal is very weak and sometimes there is no network at all. It can also be difficult to get out of our homes because of shooting, which can happen at any time.

“Convincing suppliers to work in a war situation is not easy, but the weirs needed to be completed before rainy season and we have extremely limited time to do this vital work.

“The people of Sudan are suffering, but this work will at least help alleviate some of the day-to-day problems they have been facing for many years, which are caused by climate change.”

Practical Action Sudan director, Muna Eltahir said: “I would like to take this opportunity to wish Eid Mubarak to all the people Practical Action work with.

“They can be assured that we have been working in Sudan continuously since 1988 and we have no intention to stop now.

“I am incredibly proud of my colleagues and the partners they are working with on the ground, who continue to deliver this life-changing work, despite the hardship they face.

“In the meantime, we continue to call upon the leadership of the two sides to come to the negotiating table and reach a truce so that we can step up our work so that people on the front line of climate change can take action.”

Search

Practical Action is continuing to deliver work on the ground in Sudan, despite ongoing conflict.