Project HOPE Delivers Aid to Omdurman, Sudan

Trigger warning: This news alert includes mention of sexual violence.

As violence enters its fifth month, Sudan’s health care system teeters toward the brink of exhaustion. Few – if any – hospitals are operating at full capacity, and many have been overtaken by armed groups to shelter injured soldiers. Al-Nau Hospital is one of the last functioning hospitals in Omdurman, a city within the metropolitan area of Khartoum, where fighting has intensified. Hospital staff who live nearby work around the clock with limited supplies to triage patients seeking help for shot wounds, shrapnel injuries, sexual assault, and dialysis treatment, constantly in fear of their hospital being looted or taken over.

Project HOPE – in partnership with the Sudanese American Physicians Association (SAPA) – successfully delivered a shipment of two World Health Organization (WHO) Interagency Emergency Health Kits (IEHKs) to Al-Nau Hospital, which will support the primary health needs of 20,000 patients for up to three months. Project HOPE and SAPA are two of only a handful of nonprofits that have been able to get medical supplies into the affected area and are coordinating additional shipments of antibiotics and medical supplies.

Arlan Fuller, Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response for Project HOPE, says:

“We are hearing horrifying stories from inside Al-Nau hospital. Health workers are surrounded by death and trauma. They are doing everything they can to triage and focus on those they can save given limited resources. Patients are dying from preventable deaths every day due to a lack of supplies. Young girls come in after being sexually assaulted, people are bleeding out from gunshot wounds, and older people are running out of lifesaving medicine like insulin and blood pressure medication.

The shipment of medical supplies from Project HOPE and SAPA comes at a critical time as Al-Nau Hospital has been running dangerously low on medicines, medical supplies, and medical equipment. Shipments continue to take months to arrive, and many don’t make it due to complications or attacks. Without efficient supply chains and safe routes, more hospitals will have to close their doors.”

Yasir Elamin, President of SAPA, says:

“Al-Nau hospital has been a beacon of hope in the darkest of days for Sudan. As the only hospital providing emergency services in Omdurman-Khartoum, health personnel there have demonstrated extraordinary courage to serve their community. SAPA is honored to support the life-saving efforts of these brave women and men, and grateful for our partnership with Project HOPE.

This shipment offers a lifeline for the growing number of civilians caught in the crossfire of the war. But crucial gaps remain in the health system nationwide, jeopardizing the needs of millions of people. Acute supply shortages persist, many doctors and nurses have worked without pay for months, and aid delivery efforts continue to be hampered by violence and bureaucratic issues. The international community must work together to secure comprehensive, sustainable solutions to overcome these challenges.”

Project HOPE and SAPA team members are available for interviews.