Clearing the way for hope in Sudan
With 6.2 million people unsure where their next meal will come from, WFP is finding creative ways to support the Government
By Abdulaziz Abdulmomin
Sudan’s east has one of the highest poverty and malnutrition rates in the country. And it’s the poorest people there who suffer most, especially during the ‘lean’ season when food stocks run low and families have no source of income until the next harvest.
Last year, the World Food Programme (WFP) launched a project that helps people earn cash while building or rehabilitating agricultural assets that benefit the entire community. A local committee was formed to decide which asset would be most helpful to build or rehabilitate.
WFP’s Productive Safety Nets (PSN) project is helping build reservoirs, community farms and gardens that increase families’ incomes and expand their opportunities. Through the project, WFP supports more than 10,000 families in four localities in Red Sea State including Sinkat, Haya, Agig and Tokar.
Osman Hamad, a member of the village development committee and headmaster at the village school, participated in the clearing of mesquite trees — introduced to stem desertification, the Prosopis juliflora has proved to be a menace, with sprawling roots that overpower more nutritious plants.
Osman says the project has changed the topography of the area and contributed to the development of the village in general.
“We are now enjoying clean drinking water,” he says. “The area is now free of mosquitoes which used to live in the mesquite trees now being cleared through this project. The money also injected in the community helps the local market and creates more opportunities for the people.
“As a school headmaster, I have also noticed that girls’ attendance in the community has significantly improved. This is clearly the impact of the money the project participants receive. In the past, girls were shy to attend school because they didn’t have proper uniforms. Now parents can afford to buy new uniforms and other school needs.
“The project has also encouraged residents to return who have previously migrated to bigger towns to find work. Many have returned and settled in the village where they can participate in asset creation for the benefit of the community.”
Sudan is one of many countries across Africa facing food insecurity despite having an agriculture-based economy. Consistent production of staple harvests is hampered by recurring climatic shocks, limited institutional mechanisms to support more large-scale production and more recently, shortages in fuel.
Additionally, the break between harvest cycles leaves a gap in employment. PSN activities essentially provide a job between harvests, which helps buffer the impact of rising unemployment and more broadly supports the Government’s social safety nets system in Sudan.
Saadiya Mohamed Ahmed participates in a community handicrafts project. She is one of 30 women who have received training by a cooperating partner on how to make handicrafts with local resources.
She first sets off to find freshly uprooted mesquite trees, which present the materials she needs. Then she returns to the centre to turn them into handmade decorative items. The women then take their products to the market, sell them at good prices and divide the profit.
Saadiya recently received a two-month payment worth 3,000 Sudanese pounds (US$ 40) from WFP, which she used to pay her debts to the shopowner in the village. “This really improves the way we live and allows us to prioritize our needs. Recently, I bought a new dress for my daughter Mariyam,” she says. “I also plan to save money and establish a small boutique or fish processing project.”
With thanks to funding for Productive Safety Nets in Sudan:
European Commission; the UK (DFID); Germany (BMZ); and Sweden
