Voluntary initiatives in Eastern Sudan: A light in the darkness of war

Sudan Media Forum: Joint Editorial Room

Source: Radio Dabanga

For more than seven months, volunteer Mohamed Bri and his colleagues have been active in the Arkwet Youth Initiative in El Gedaref city, providing the necessary support to displaced people in shelters.

“The initiative was launched after the Rapid Support Forces attacked Singa city in Sennar state last July, on the first day the influx of displaced people began,” Mohamed Bri told Radio Dabanga.

“The idea of the initiative was launched by a group of young people from the Arkwet neighbourhood in southern El Gedaref city, as part of receiving displaced people coming from Sennar state in transit and providing ready-made meals,” he added.

According to statistics from the International Organisation for Migration, El Gedaref city received 229,663 people in 2024, most of them from Gezira and Sennar states.

Mohamed Bri said that the initiative has continued to provide breakfast meals to more than 1,500 displaced families from Gezira and Sennar states, who are staying in the Arkwet Youth Centre and six other shelters in the southern neighbourhoods, in addition to families living outside the shelters in rented houses.

According to the International Organisation for Migration, 35,000 displaced people from El Gedaref returned to Sennar State between December 18 and January 10.

The Arkwet Youth Initiative provides a fixed breakfast meal for the displaced, in addition to other meals, sandwiches and juices for children.

The initiative also works to provide water to El Gedaref Hospital, and organises volunteer work in the hospital, including providing meals, environmental sanitation campaigns, and spraying campaigns in all departments of the hospital.

Regarding the organisations partnering with the initiative, Mohamed Bri told Radio Dabanga: “The initiative relies mainly on collecting donations from the neighbourhood and traders in the market, in addition to receiving assistance from organisations such as the Shorouk Forum, the Takatof Organisation, and other organisations.”

Mohamed Bri added: “The initiative’s charity kitchen has continued without interruption. Whenever the food stock runs out, the initiative team becomes worried that the kitchen will stop, before we are surprised by the arrival of financial or in-kind assistance from individuals and various organisations.”

With the onset of winter, the initiative implemented a campaign to collect and distribute winter clothes and blankets.

Yesterday, Thursday, the Gezira State Security Committee announced the launch of voluntary return trips for displaced persons from all states to Wad Madani city starting from February 3.

This report is published on the platforms of all media institutions, organisations, and press members of the Sudan Media Forum.

SilenceKills #الصمت_يقتل #NoTimeToWasteForSudan #الوضع_في_السودان_لايحتمل_التأجيل #StandWithSudan #ساندوا_السودان #SudanMediaForum