Sudan remains the world's largest hunger, security, and displacement crisis since violence broke out in April 2023.

After 1,000 days of conflict, Sudan has reached breaking point and is now facing the world's worst humanitarian and displacement crisis.

Over 33 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and nearly 13 million - one in three Sudanese - are displaced internally.

This includes refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced people, like Hanan whose family lost their sources of income as they ran from the violence. After a long, exhausting journey, they found shelter in a school in east Sudan, where they were provided food and support by aid agencies.

That all changed when the US Government cut funding for international humanitarian assistance.

"Suddenly, the assistance we relied on stopped," Hanan said. "When we asked aid workers why, they told us they are facing huge funding cuts. Food aid was reduced, then stopped, and cash support ceased entirely. Now, I can no longer afford my blood pressure medication, and we barely get any food."

"I tried to compensate for lost food aid by relying on meals from a nearby community kitchen. But the kitchen shut down. Volunteers told us funding had dried up, so they can no longer serve us."

More funding is desperately needed

While the UK Government has rightly made the humanitarian crisis in Sudan a UK foreign policy priority, more funding is desperately needed to alleviate the horrific suffering of civilians, including an urgent need for more services for survivors of sexual violence.

Women-led initiatives play a crucial role in the prevention of GBV and providing essential services to survivors - yet they receive less than 2% of the critically-underfunded Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF).

Conflict-driven malnutrition is ravaging Sudan, leaving half the population facing extreme hunger. This catastrophic crisis - recently confirmed as famine in the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Partnership (IPC) report - disproportionately affects Sudan's children.

UNICEF reports that approximately three million children under the age of five suffer from malnutrition every year. Severe acute malnutrition cases are rising sharply, especially in Darfur.

How CARE and our partners are responding

"Since the conflict began, we've been treating children with moderate and severe malnutrition across Sudan," said Nadia Eltoum, Executive Director of Almanar, a CARE partner.

"Sadly, funding cuts forced us to scale back operations. We have lost nearly 80% of our resources. This leaves communities frustrated and underserved, and children with moderate malnutrition are worsening into severe cases due to lack of support."

International aid groups are also struggling to provide maternal healthcare to pregnant women leaving them desperate and struggling to afford safe deliveries. Remote health centres which offered safe delivery space, immunisations, and general medical care are also bearing the brunt of cuts.

"Funding cuts are crippling us. We feel helpless as we can no longer provide lifesaving health, water, and hygiene kits to people sheltering in IDP sites or host communities in impoverished Kassala," said Nagat Abdallah, Executive Director of Reira Organization, a CARE partner.

Despite severe operational and funding challenges, CARE Sudan remains agile and flexible, and has provided over 1.9 million people with vital food, water, hygiene kits and access to essential medical and mental health support. Our team is responding to rising humanitarian needs across eight states: East Darfur, South Darfur, Kassala, Gedaref, Gezira, South Kordofan, Red Sea, and Khartoum.

CARE Sudan's country director, Abdirahman Ali, said:

Crisis in Sudan - how you can help

Please donate to our emergency appeal today so that CARE can continue to provide support to those who urgently need it. Your donation will help to provide life-saving supplies and support including:

• Clean water
• Food supplies
• Medicine
• Mental health support

Demand Government action on Sudan

The world's Governments - including the UK - have failed to respond to the crisis in Sudan with urgency, leadership and determination at the scale needed.

Women, children and communities in Sudan and across the region can wait no longer.

Alongside 12 other UK leading aid charities, we're calling on the UK Government to take urgent action to help the people of Sudan.

Will you join us?