These young Sudanese volunteers work in youth-led organizations. initiative Born in the throes of an ongoing war that has displaced millions since fighting broke out in April 2023 between rival military forces, they are providing relief aid with limited means and strong will, from food, water and medicine to help the wounded and shelter for the homeless.
“The emergency rooms were born out of pain and became a bridge between organizations and people in need on the ground,” said Mubarak Mohamed Idris, a member of a youth-led initiative at Zamzam camp.
Now they are dealing with famine, and their emergency rooms have become a lifeline for thousands of displaced, besieged people at a time when the United Nations is on the ground providing aid while international aid organizations struggle to find safe, unhindered access to those in need.
Community kitchens are a lifeline for hungry people in the Abu-Shouk camp for displaced people in Darfur.
Hope in a time of suffering
A harrowing scene is unfolding in this part of Sudan after global food security experts announced famine in Zamzam campAid agencies are now warning of similar conditions in the nearby Abu Shouk and Al-Salam camps.
Children spend all day without eating anything
Aid agencies have been unable to reach these refugee camps due to fighting and blocked roads to provide the necessary assistance, so the youth-run emergency room has been providing food to the hungry, Mr Idris said.
Zamzam camp is home to some 500,000 displaced people from the five states of Darfur as well as displaced people fleeing the conflict in Khartoum, causing the camp’s population to swell significantly. according to aid agencies.
According to Mr. Idris, the refugee camp has become a “miniature Darfur” and “children go hungry all day.”
Volunteers at the Zamzam camp emergency response room prepare meals for displaced families.
Community kitchen against hunger
Some families had to go days without a fire because they had no food to cook, he said, stressing that “the camp was surrounded and the families had nothing”.
So they set up a community kitchen, where volunteers prepare and deliver food around the clock to more than 46 shelters inside the camp.
“This helps us alleviate the suffering of those displaced inside the camp due to food shortages and families unable to feed themselves,” he said.
Spirit of solidarity and cooperation
The role of the emergency room goes beyond providing material assistance. Young volunteers are fostering solidarity among displaced people, providing shelter and clothing, evacuating the injured from conflict zones and helping those affected by disasters such as floods.
Another huge challenge is access to clean water as all wells in Zamzam camp are out of service due to lack of fuel as the area is surrounded by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which are still fighting against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
“Currently, only two of the eight wells in the camp are functioning,” said Idris. “We are struggling to get water to the camp due to clashes, shelling and lack of funds. We brought two water tankers with 200 barrels of water and distributed it to people in 46 centers, but it is still not enough.”
They are also providing tarps and shelters during the fall, in addition to insecticide spraying tools and mosquito nets, and in the winter they will provide children’s clothing.
Community kitchen run by youth-run emergency response room at Abu Shouk camp.
Model of recovery amid famine
About 22 kilometers away, the situation was similarly grim at Abu Shouk camp, said Mohamed Adam Abdel Latif, a representative of the communications committee of the emergency department serving the community.
Every sign of famine is very clear.
“All the signs of famine are very clear” inside the camp, Mr. Latif said, noting that there had been “a lot of deaths in the camp” from starvation, especially among children.
Recent floods destroyed more than 700 homes in the camp, and young volunteers are facing similar challenges, providing similar services and even expanding their work to include renovating affected shelters, providing everything from sanitary napkins to women and girls to working in environmental sanitation.
Forced to eat animal food
Many challenges remain, from shortages of food and other life-saving supplies. Most health centers have closed following the shelling, and the only center providing primary care is experiencing severe shortages of medicines and medical supplies, especially for children under five.
“We have no access to therapeutic nutrition,” he stressed. “We have two therapeutic feeding centers and they were bombed by RSF.”
Meanwhile, food prices have risen, forcing many to eat animal feed if available, while others have become desperate, turning to begging or prostitution to feed their children.
“We provide food to shelters that are now completely dependent on us,” said Mr Latif, expressing gratitude for the support received from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including the Norwegian Refugee Council – a UN partner – which sent $5,000 to stock the community kitchen.
However, due to lack of stable support, the camp kitchen recently had to close for 20 days.
Families gather for meals prepared and provided by the Zamzam camp emergency response team in North Darfur.
Things could get worse.
Mr Latif said all roads leading to the camp were currently closed while there were not enough basic medical supplies such as bandages and disinfectants to help the large number of injured.
“We have appealed many times and continue to call on international organizations and the United Nations to provide services to us in any way,” he said.
“We call on the UN authorities to coordinate with agencies inside the camps to provide assistance to displaced children and their families.”
