Sudan - ACJR 2023 Program (Parent) SUMMARY
The organisations united in the Sudan Acute Crisis Joint Response are responding to the humanitarian needs that are rapidly worsening since the violent outburst in April 2023. The recent surge in violence threatens to deepen the humanitarian crisis as the population was already struggling with poverty, hunger, and inequality. Life-saving activities are being implemented in the districts White Nile, Al Jazirah, Blue Nile, North and East Darfur and include protection services, WASH, acute food assistance, and cash support, specifically targeting those most vulnerable, including children, girls, and women.

The JR partners are:
FPDO and ASSIST, (Plan International), RAISE, (Save the Children), CAFA Development Organization, (Stichting Vluchteling/IRC), World Relief, HOPE, (Tearfund), Alsawaid Alkhadara Organizationc (AAO), (World Vision), SOS Sahel, CDF, (ZOA). Sudan is facing an unprecedented crisis. The sudden outbreak of armed conflict has proven to be disastrous in a country already facing a major humanitarian crisis. Over 24 million people now need urgent humanitarian assistance, both in areas facing humanitarian crises for many years and in areas that until recently were less affected. Millions of people have been displaced, forced to leave their homes, with many more facing hunger and the threat of disease. Fleeing populations of women, children, and families urgently need shelter, protection, food, water, medical care, and psychosocial support. Girls, young women, and unaccompanied children in particular face major protection risks and require direct assistance.

The organisations united by the Dutch Relief Alliance and its Sudanese partners are responding through a multisectoral intervention that aims to provide immediate relief to the most acute needs. The intervention focuses in particular on protection services required to ensure the populations’ safety from violence and abuse as well as food assistance, water and sanitation, and direct cash support. The objective of this JR is to respond to the acute humanitarian needs among the most vulnerable individuals displaced or severely affected by the ongoing armed conflict in Sudan. The activities carried out under this Joint Response include:
- Protection services: providing psychosocial support, dedicated case management, facilitating referrals for gender-based violence prevention and response services, distribution of dignity kits to girls and women, and awareness raising on child recruitment.
- WASH: providing access to soap, sufficient and safe water, and clean sanitary facilities, as well as awareness-raising activities on hygiene.
- Health: supporting the rehabilitation of selected health facilities, including primary health care consultations, and supporting community-based treatment for malaria, diarrhea, and other acute infections.
- Food security and livelihood: contributing to food access, via food distribution and by establishing communal kitchens.
- Shelter: provision of basic, safe, and dignified shelter solutions, while also equipping households with non-food items.
- Cash assistance: distributing cash transfers to households ensuring freedom, dignity, and choice to decide on their recovery. Joint response partners have been actively engaged in humanitarian response efforts in Sudan, with relevant track record of experience, existing capacities in terms of staffing and presence, and relevant sector expertise. The joint response also leverages from existing capacities of local/NNGO partners that have long standing presence in the country, working with diverse stakeholders and partners in the selected states and localities. Partners have relevant expertise in the selected sectors for response, as evidenced in the partner mapping and ability to quickly respond and adapt to challenging contexts. The joint response builds on the strong coordination capacity of partners that are already engaging with relevant stakeholders, for example also in the Protracted Sudan JR. Joint response partners are well-placed to drive the proposed response so that it addresses the people most in need of humanitarian assistance, in line with the principles of accountability to affected populations (AAP), while prioritizing the most vulnerable and urgently in need of support. The beneficiary selection will be based on the most affected given that the current Sudan Crisis is unique and dynamic. These are estimated as being IDPs, refugees and host communities who have been directly affected. From the total reported IDP caseload, field teams indicate that 109,000 individuals (21,800 households) are foreign nationals. Protection: The JR will support various prevention measures, also increasing dissemination of protection information, contributing to capacity strengthening, implementing strategies to prevent and respond to child recruitment at various levels. Moreover, the JR will also enhance support to separated
and unaccompanied children, while also strengthening child protection mechanisms including dedicated case management, and facilitating referrals for specialized GBV prevention and response services. Protection activities will also include distribution of dignity kits to 1300 vulnerable adolescent girls and young women, especially child/young mothers with protection risks. Awareness raising will be done to prevent recruitment, cases of child recruitment will be reported through MRM and a target of 50 former CAAFAGS will be supported for community reintegration(3 sessions). In Al Jazirah (Alsahisa, Um Algura and Sharg Aljazeera), World Relief and HOPE will distribute protection kits for 1200 women and girls. In addition, 13,953 people will be targeted from conflict-affected HHs for sensitization about specific GBV related risks. Psychosocial support services (PSS) both in camps and in schools will be provided to targeted 1485 children.

WASH: The JR will increase access to soap to meet hygienic needs, also contributing to access to dignified, safe, clean and functional excreta disposal facilities, and access to sufficient and safe water for domestic use. Efforts will also contribute rehabilitating functional drainage networks, and hygiene promotion through awareness raising activities. 

Health: The JR will support the rehabilitation of select health facilities, including primary health care consultations, and supporting community based treatment for malaria, diarrhea and or acute respiratory infections that impact children. In Al Jazirah (Wad Medani), IRC and CAFA will conduct needs assessment and rehabilitation of two health facilities, in addition to distribution of essential drugs and medical supplies, and the deployment of key medical cadres to support health facilities to deliver health services targeting 12,460 persons. Community health volunteers will also be supported by CAFA to deliver integrated community case management for malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea, combined with health awareness and sensation at community level, and referrals. Also in Al Jazirah (Alsahisa, Um Algura and Sharg Aljazeera ) 4 health facilities and 2 mobile clinics will by supported by Tearfund through its partner World Relief, to provide primary health care services targeting 14664 people in the gathering areas and host communities in need for essential lifesaving support. In addition, community-based treatment will target 4,640 children for malaria, diarrhoea, and/or acute respiratory infection.

Food Security and Livelihoods: The JR aims to contribute to available of, access to and consumption of food. In North Darfur and Al Jazirah (Al-Fasher; and Um Algura and Sharg Al Jazira Localities), ZOA and its partners SOS Sahel and CDF will support food distribution to households who can cook and through communal kitchens, targeting 8100 persons.

Shelter: The JR will support people with access to basic, safe and dignified shelter solutions, and provision of NFIs. In Al Jazirah and Blue Nile (Wad Medani, Kamlin, and Damazine locations), Save the Children and RAISE, will support 230 people (46 HHs) through provision of cash for rent. The assistance will cover three months of rent, in line with the Shelter/NFI cluster recommendations. A estimate of 1080 persons (216 HHs) will be provided with NFI kits.

MPC: The Joint Response aims to reach 5362 persons with unconditional and unrestricted cash transfers. In White Nile (El Gableen, Eldwiem), Plan International and ASSIST will provide multipurpose cash assistance in line with cash WG standards. Cash distribution will be preceded by a market assessment and followed up with post-distribution monitoring. White Nile state currently does have availability of cash and the design of this element was discussed and aligned with the local cash WG. In Al Jazirah and Blue Nile (Wad Medani, Kamlin, and Damazine locations), Save the Children and RAISE will support 1296 persons with 3 installments of MPC to meet basic needs. In East Darful (Eldaen) World Vision will register 1800 persons (300HH) to receive monthly cash entitlement to access the Local Food Basket & WASH NFIs needs, over two months. In addition to the MPCA payments mentioned above, World Vision will make a one-time cash transfer for cooking utensil provision. Joint response partners have been actively engaged in humanitarian response efforts in Sudan, with relevant track record of experience, existing capacities in terms of staffing and presence, and relevant sector expertise. The joint response also leverages from existing capacities of local/NNGO partners that have long standing presence in the country, working with diverse stakeholders and partners in the selected states and localities.

There is an existing DRA PC JR in country, which will use crisis modifiers and re-programming to address the emerging needs in areas of programming, as part of continued commitment to communities also directly affected by the present crisis. The scale and scope of humanitarian needs across the country, however, significantly surpasses existing resources available. The DRA Acute Crisis Mechanism enables a scale up of response efforts in Sudan. Close coordination and collaboration would enable a timely response that also ensures wide reach, in line with the scale and scope of present humanitarian needs in Sudan. This would be carried out in close coordination and collaboration with response efforts through the Protracted Crisis Mechanism, which is ongoing until after the current ACJR.