A mother in the refugee camp (far right, with child) cooks with utensils provided through relief efforts by AFSC and partners. Photo: Salama Hub
After the start of the war in Sudan in April, millions of people fled to neighboring countries. They took only what they could carry—leaving behind homes, jobs, personal belongings, and essentials for everyday life.
In response to the crisis, AFSC put out a call for emergency donations, and many in the AFSC community generously responded. Thanks to your support, AFSC and partners have assisted refugees and migrants arriving in Ethiopia, supplying them with food, lodging, medicine, clothing, and hygiene supplies. We have also helped several refugees pay for immigration, travel, and resettlement expenses.
In recent months, AFSC and partners have continued that work while providing support to women and their families in Kumer refugee camp in Ethiopia. Although the camp was established to house the thousands of recent arrivals to the country, it lacks access to even the most basic resources and services. There is not enough food or clean water, shelters are overcrowded, and sanitation conditions are a major concern.
Dignity kits and household items for women-headed households in the camp. Photo: Salama Hub
This fall, we delivered dignity kits and household items to 150 women-headed households in Kumer. Our goal is to provide critical supplies to help refugees live with dignity and improve their everyday lives as they begin to rebuild.
The dignity kits included items that are difficult to find or even purchase in the camp—soap, sanitary pads, underwear, pajamas, slippers, a towel, toothbrushes and toothpaste, and a solar torch. We also provided families with cooking pots, kitchen utensils, bed sheets, blankets, and plastic bidets.
These basic items have made a huge difference for mothers like Aishatu*. She and her two children, ages 3 and 6, had fled Khartoum with almost nothing and spent four months in Kumer with no possessions. Now that she has quality pots and utensils, it is much easier for her to fetch water, cook meals, and feed her children every day.
Staff from AFSC and partner organizations meet with families in the camp. Photo: Salama Hub
The dignity kits have also helped people like Sophia*. The 40-year-old mother arrived in Kumer with only the dress she was wearing. Since she was unable to wash it, she worried about traveling around the camp. Now that she has a spare change of clothing and laundry soap, she can wash her dress and move across the camp when she needs to.
Our AFSC team in Africa is grateful to supporters like you for helping to make changes like these possible. With your help, we are improving the lives of families displaced by the war in Sudan as we continue to join with partners worldwide in calling for peace.
Thank you for supporting our efforts.
*Names are pseudonyms.
