When fighting erupted in El Fasher-North Darfur in 2023, Ferdous and her four children were stuck in El Fasher for over twenty months. In September 2025, they managed to flee with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. As the head of her household, she carried the weight of keeping her family safe while navigating the uncertainty and trauma of displacement.
After weeks on the move, they finally found safety in Al Lait locality, one of the three locations where Welthungerhilfe (WHH), in partnership with ADRA and SAHARI Organization for development, are supporting vulnerable families through life-saving cash assistance funded by the European Union.
Ferdous’ Story: Turning Cash into Stability and Dignity
On the morning she received her cash assistance, Ferdous walked to a local merchant in Al Lait, her face lit with cautious relief. This was the first time since fleeing El Fasher that she felt she could own money without slaving away.
With the digital confirmation on her phone, she purchased essential medicines and food items which are comprised of lentils, oil, flour, and small quantities of vegetables. For her, lentils were especially important. Her youngest child had become malnourished after months of insufficient meals during displacement, and she knew the protein-rich lentils would help him regain strength.
“This support came at the right time,” Ferdous shared. “When we fled El Fasher, I lost my small business and all my income. My children suffered, and I watched my youngest child become sick. Today, I am relieved because the cash has allowed me to buy food and medicine. We can eat with dignity again.”
Impact Beyond One Household
Ferdous’ story mirrors the experiences of 2,568 displaced families supported through the European Union in North Darfur. The cash assistance provided immediate financial relief that has helped to:
- Improve household food security, allowing families to purchase diverse and nutritious food.
- Restore dignity by enabling people to choose what they need most.
- Boost the local economy, as merchants benefited from increased purchases in the markets of Al Lait, Um Kedada, Tawila and Al Tawisha localities -North Darfur.
- Support child nutrition, especially in households where children had become acutely malnourished after months of displacement.
- Reduce negative coping mechanisms, such as skipping meals, borrowing at high interest, or selling remaining household items.
While cash assistance is what is delivered through the European Union funded project, the communities affected by conflict testify that beyond cash, the project restored hope, stability, and a pathway toward recovery for families like Ferdous’.
A Step Toward Recovery
As markets continue to function and communities slowly regain their footing, Ferdous now hopes to restart her small business selling tea and homemade snacks. For her, cash assistance is not just about survival, it is a foundation upon which she can rebuild her life and support her children’s future.
The humanitarian impact of cash assistance in crisis settings has once again been manifested in North Darfur by empowering families, stimulating local markets, and enabling displaced communities to chart their own path toward resilience.
A Community Overwhelmed by Conflict
The conflict across Darfur has displaced thousands of households who lost their livelihoods, assets, and support networks. In North Darfur, the burden fell heavily on women like Ferdous, single heads of households now fully responsible for securing food, healthcare, and basic needs amidst escalating prices and limited income opportunities.
To respond to these urgent needs, WHH is implementing the Sudan Urgent Food Security Assistance through Multi-Purpose Cash and Disaster Risk Reduction interventions (SUSTAIN) in North Darfur, specifically in Al Lait, Um Kedada, Al Tawisha and Tawila – localities that have all received large numbers of people displaced from El Fasher locality and other high conflict locations. Through financial support from the European Union, the project aimed to provide immediate, flexible financial support that allows families to prioritize their most pressing needs while maintaining dignity and choice.
As a result of the project, to date, a total of 2,568 vulnerable, conflict-affected families have been supported through cash assistance, enabling them to meet their immediate food, health, and protection needs, in a dignified manner.
