Welthungerhilfe is providing emergency relief
EU-Funded Project Delivers Lifesaving Support to Families in North Darfur Amid Deepening Humanitarian Crisis
Welthungerhilfe (WHH), in partnership with ADRA and Sudanese NGOs SAHARI and Peace and Light for Rural Development Organization (PLRD), is implementing SUSTAIN
Port Sudan, Sudan – 9 March 2026: The ongoing conflict in Sudan, which erupted in April 2023, has triggered one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. More than one third of the population has been displaced, and while limited returns are taking place in some relatively stable areas, the situation in North Darfur remains critical. With over 1.7 million internally displaced people (IDPs) across 17 localities, and escalating violence including the siege of El Fasher, humanitarian needs continue to rise sharply.
In response to this crisis, Welthungerhilfe (WHH), in partnership with ADRA and Sudanese NGOs SAHARI and Peace and Light for Rural Development Organization (PLRD), is implementing the European Union funded project “Sudan Urgent Food Security Assistance through Multi-Purpose Cash and Disaster Risk Reduction Interventions (SUSTAIN)”.
The 12-month project, funded by the European Union, provides critical support to families facing extreme levels of food insecurity (IPC levels 4 and 5), particularly in North Darfur. Across Sudan, more than 21 million people are currently experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity.
The SUSTAIN project delivers assistance through Multipurpose Cash (MPC) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) interventions, enabling vulnerable households to meet their most urgent needs while strengthening their resilience to future shocks.
To date, the project has supported:
- 1,000 households with three rounds of Multipurpose Cash Assistance, receiving 360,000 Sudanese Pounds per household per month over three months
- 1,868 households with a one-time cash transfer of 520,000 Sudanese Pounds under a crisis modifier component.
Cash assistance was delivered through mobile bank transfers and direct cash distributions via financial service providers, ensuring flexibility and accessibility even in challenging contexts.
Findings from a recent Post Distribution Monitoring (PDM) exercise show that households used the assistance primarily for Food (50%), Healthcare (30%), and Water (20%). These results highlight the critical role of cash assistance in enabling families to prioritize their most urgent needs with dignity.
“When we went back to the villages, the people were very happy because their situation had greatly improved from when we met them prior to the cash distributions. However, the need is still enormous as the number of vulnerable people is increasing by the day,” said Mohammed Suliman, WHH Field Coordinator.
Despite the positive impact, the humanitarian situation remains dire. Continued conflict, restricted access, and soaring prices of goods and services are limiting access to food and essential inputs, increasing the risk of famine in parts of North Darfur.
Through SUSTAIN, WHH and its partners are not only addressing immediate needs but also laying the foundation for longer-term recovery and resilience. However, sustained international support is urgently needed to scale up life-saving interventions and prevent further deterioration of the crisis.
About Welthungerhilfe (WHH)
Welthungerhilfe is one of the largest private aid organizations in Germany; it is politically independent and nondenominational. With courage and determination, it is striving for a world without hunger. Since it was founded on December 14, 1962, 12,777 overseas projects in about 72 countries have been supported with 5.42 billion euros. Welthungerhilfe follows the principle of empowering people to help themselves to sustainably improve their living conditions, through approaches ranging from fast disaster relief to reconstruction and long-term development cooperation projects with national and international partner organizations.
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