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SUDAN

Community Development Changing Lives

ABOUT SUDAN
Sudan is the largest country in Africa. It has a tumultuous past bound up in
invasions and explorations over rumours of hidden treasure. War has turned
a nation once rich in reserves of ivory, gold, spices and incense, to one of
extreme poverty with a large question mark over its future.

A variety of factors including decades of marginalising the poor, recurrent


drought, lack of investment and development and weak governance have
led to a number of crises and conflicts.

A civil war in the South and the continuing bloodshed in Darfur have killed
millions and created approximately six million refugees. Sudan now has the
world’s largest population of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
QUICK FACTS
Even with continued revenues from oil and the gradual resumption of
Full name:
development aid, Sudan’s future remains uncertain. The nation is extremely
Republic of Sudan
vulnerable politically and economically, and dealing effectively with IDPs will
be essential to its survival. Population:
39,379,358

Capital:
Khartoum

Area:
2,505,813 sq km, (987,495 sq miles)

Major languages:
Arabic & English

Major religion:
TEAR FUND IN SUDAN Muslim (70%), Animist / Indigenous
(20-25%), Christian (5-10%)
Sudan is one of TEAR Fund’s disaster relief focuses. Two major issues in Sudan are
the crisis in Darfur and the North/South war that has created a huge number of Life expectancy:
48 (men), 50 (women)
internally displaced persons (IDPs).

TEAR Fund supports three complimentary disaster relief projects in Sudan: Monetary unit:
Medair’s IDP Project in Khartoum State, Tearfund UK’s Wadi Salih and Ed Daein Sudanese pound
Projects. Support for these projects has come from a combination of fundraising
Main exports:
campaigns and grants from the New Zealand Government. Oil and petroleum products;
cotton, sesame, livestock,
The Wadi Salih Integrated Relief Project is helping to strengthen the capacity of
groundnuts, gum, Arabic sugar
22 communities to manage and sustain recovery and peace-building activities
through Village Development Committees. Around 58,500 people are being
provided with reliable and sustainable access to safe water and sanitation facilities
through the construction of wells and latrines.

Education encompasses water management, personal hygiene, and increasing the


knowledge of good health behaviours for 5,000 women, 28,000 children, 700
youth and 600 men. The project also focuses on increasing food production and
tree growth through supporting 12,000 farmers in the area.

TEAR Fund UK’s Disaster Management Team has been operating in multiple
locations within Sudan since 1998 and in Darfur since 2004. The Wadi Salih
Project is helping to make a difference to people in dire need.

Call to donate: 0800 800 777 or visit www.tearfund.org.nz


Community Development Changing Lives

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
TEAR Fund community development works by empowering poor communities to find
their own solutions to issues. This significantly reduces overheads by operating through
local staff. We work directly with the poorest allowing us to identify and address the root
causes of poverty not just the symptoms.

TEAR Fund partners with organisations who carry out the work themselves. Assistance is
given regardless of beliefs.

Tear Fund takes an holistic approach to all of its projects which takes the local community
on a journey of transformation through improved physical, social and economic
circumstances, and often on an individual level, spiritual change.

How community development transforms


• Physical – meets targeted need such as health
• Social – unites and empowers
• Economic – often creates opportunities for income generation

DARFUR – MERCY AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD

Amar Jadeed is a small centre about 15km west of Garsilla. She recalls that the worst moments of the conflict
It is a host community that is predominantly African. were losing relatives and property - especially livestock.
No livestock means limited opportunities to improve the
Taja (crown) Abdulelkareem Sharaf is 40 years old. Taja is family’s living standard. Speaking about how she copes she
from the Fur Community and has been living in Amar Jadeed says, “we just surrender everything to God and up to now
village since she was born. During a period of particularly we still do not know what the future holds for us.”
heightened insecurity since the conflict began, she and her
family moved to Garsilla for six months. They were happy TEAR Fund health clubs have helped Taja and her family
to return to Amar Jadeed when most of the atrocities improve their health practices. They have learned the
had stopped. importance of washing hands at key times of the day such
as before eating food, covering open water containers
Her immediate family has 10 members, but she is also the to prevent contamination and cleaning the house and
caretaker of two orphans. She says mothering so many surrounding areas. Taja says the community has also
family members is very hard work but she expresses great benefited from two water points and receives seeds
happiness that the family has managed to stay together in during TEAR Fund’s food security distributions. She is
such difficult times. She shares the responsibility of the family looking forward to a brighter future for her children.
with her husband, who runs a small business buying and
selling consumable food items in the market.

CONTACTS:
National Office: Freephone: 0800 800 777
PO Box 8315, Symonds St, Facsimile: (09) 629 1050
Auckland 1150 Email: enquiries@tearfund.org.nz
New Zealand Website: www.tearfund.org.nz PROJECT PROFILES

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