Water - the gift of life - for children in Darfur

"According to Sudan’s Ministry of Health, cholera has already caused more than 2,500 deaths, with over 100,000 suspected cases identified across the country" (ICRC, 18th September 2025).

With infrastructure destroyed due to ongoing fighting since 2023, cholera is spreading rapidly across Sudan.  Access to clean water and healthcare is limited, and with extreme food shortages and malnutrition weakening the immune systems of children, the risk that contracting cholera poses is deadly. In the past six months alone, child starvation in Darfur has risen by 46%. We must do all we can to ensure that cholera does not reach Kids for Kids villages.

Right now, thanks to you, families in 110 Villages have clean water.

In Kids for Kids villages clean water flows from the handpumps you have built close to villages. Children are drinking clean, safe water amidst a country-wide water crisis. You have funded the training of First Aid Workers in every Kids for Kids village who are keeping families safe, educating them about the risk of possible water-borne illnesses, and providing medicine if needed.

Kids for Kids is currently providing soap for proper sanitation, jerry cans to collect and store clean water, medicine wherever possible - along with Kids Kitchen Kits for urgently needed food, Goats for Milk and Seeds to Plant for future harvest. We delivered two emergency tankers full of water earlier this year to families trapped in El Fasher. Thank you for making this possible. 

Donate now to build another handpump, just as soon as drilling is possible.

Kids for Kids has always aimed to be flexible, so we can shape our projects to fit what communities tell us they need most. Whilst we are not an emergency organisation, this model means we are able to respond quickly in times of crisis. It is more important now than ever to plan for new water handpumps and ensure our existing handpumps are well maintained and always working efficiently.

Can you make a donation today and tell your friends how they can help children living through the "World's Worst Humanitarian Crisis" (UN, 2025)?

We must raise funds for water now, so we can build more handpumps just as soon as drilling is possible. If we have the funds, the materials, and plans in place, we can act fast and save more lives.

Links:

• Read our 2025 Autumn Mailing
• ICRC Article - "Sudan faces worst cholera outbreak in years..."
• UN warns of 'catastrophic' humanitarian crisis in Sudan's Darfur

We are thrilled that GlobalGiving is having a Bonus Day next month, on Wednesday 16th July. When you donate $100 (£74) or more to our Emergency Appeal on this day, your donation will be boosted and Kids for Kids will receive even more money - for free! This could not come at a better time.

Amid escalating fears of famine and a severe water shortage, Kids for Kids has successfully delivered two huge emergency tankers of water to families trapped in the besieged town of El Fasher, North Darfur. Thank you all for your kind donations that have made this possible.

"I simply cannot bear the thought of children thirsty in the overwhelming heat of Darfur – well over 38 degrees with little shade. These children and their families had been forced to flee their villages and now El Fasher is itself attacked. Little food is getting through, and now, little water. It is horrific," said Patricia Parker OBE, who founded Kids for Kids because of the conditions in Darfur even before the violence. 

The United Nations has warned that the town of El Fasher is on the brink of famine, with tens of thousands of people caught in the crossfire and increasingly cut off from aid. There is a severe shortage of food, medicine, and fuel. In recent days, our volunteers have confirmed that clean water supplies are nearly depleted, exacerbating the already dire conditions.

Our volunteer Yagoub, who is part of the Kids for Kids Steering Committee, has coordinated the delivery of two full tankers of fresh clean water.

We cannot sit back and watch children die of thirst. These families have lost everything and now face starvation and dehydration. We are doing everything we can to get help to them, and we are so grateful to everyone who is supporting us to provide Emergency Aid during these awful times.   

Please set a reminder in your calendar for the GlobalGiving Bonus Day on Wednesday July 16th.  And do tell your friends how their donations of over $100 (£74) to our Emergency Appeal will receive a boost, going even further to save the lives of Children who are desperate for food and water.  The more you donate, the larger the boost! Thank you.

Links:

• Patricia Parker OBE speaks on BBC Radio Surrey
• The Hungry Months Reach Crisis Point
• Provide Emergency Aid For Families in Urgent Need