Life for Relief and Development USA (LIFE) Provides Essential Nutrition to Nearly 900 Individuals Facing Food Insecurity in Sudan

Sudan has been in a state of conflict for most of its recent history. The most recent civil war, beginning in April 2023, has resulted in over 40,000 deaths and displaced more than 14 million people, making it one of the worst humanitarian crises today.

Due to the ongoing violence, over 3.5 million people have fled Sudan to neighboring nations. For those who must remain in the country, 11.6 million Sudanese have been internally displaced, causing Sudan to now have the largest internally displaced person (IDP) population in the world.

Stripped from their homes, jobs, and belongings, over two-thirds of Sudan’s population depend on urgent humanitarian aid for their survival. Extreme poverty has intensified in the region; with over 60% of Sudan’s population living in poverty, the country ranks 170th out of 193 countries on the Human Development Index.

The upheaval in Sudan has destroyed much of its social, economic, and environmental infrastructure. Agricultural production, which employs much of the population, has almost halved. With supply chains and markets severely disrupted, many remain with no source of income and no access to a means of sustenance.

This has created famine-like circumstances, leaving over half of Sudan’s population facing acute food insecurity. Since 2020, famine-related deaths have gone from being virtually non-existent to an estimated 300,000 each year. For the most vulnerable members of society, over 3 million malnourished children suffer due to the intense food insecurity plaguing the country.  

Addressing this food crisis, Life for Relief and Development USA (LIFE) distributed 169 food baskets on February 28, 2025, in time for the month of Ramadan. Reaching 845 individuals in Kassala, Sudan, the Ramadan food baskets included staple ingredients such as rice, flour, red lentils, sugar, oil, tea, and beans, securing essential nutrients for the 169 recipient families during the month of fasting.

LIFE’s Ramadan Food Basket project addressed urgent humanitarian needs among the targeted vulnerable community. The elderly, persons with disabilities, female-headed households, families living below the poverty line and those with children under the age of five were prioritized and effectively reached. To combat the intense impact of food insecurity on the young, nearly half of the beneficiaries were children.

For the recipients of LIFE’s Ramadan food baskets, the food charity provided much-needed relief, nourishment and food security to vulnerable families. Deprivation had become the norm for many in Sudan as the daily struggle for sustenance took over. The added pressure of providing sufficient supplies to feed a whole family for the month of Ramadan only magnified the beneficiaries’ dire situation.

The food baskets were received with overwhelming gratitude to LIFE and its donors. The timely distribution of nutritionally balanced food assistance enabled recipients to observe Ramadan with dignity. Your donations helped address the food crisis threatening Sudan, reinforcing community resilience in the face of the ongoing instability faced by Sudanese.