17-03-2025 | di COOPI

Sudan. Mellit in famine: COOPI's support for displaced families

In the midst of the ongoing crisis in Mellit, a district of North Darfur, Sudan, COOPI – Cooperazione Internazionale has played a crucial role in alleviating the suffering of both displaced populations and host communities. With funding from the Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF), COOPI has provided agricultural seeds and clean drinking water through the project “Early Action Integrated Food Crisis Response to Food Security Crisis in North Darfur State”. Mellit is home to over 50,000 displaced people, and the area is currently classified as being in a famine situation.

Al-Fateh Al-Kenzi, a 55-year-old teacher who fled El Fasher due to the outbreak of war in June 2023, found shelter at the Ketab Shakara School in Mellit, where 300 people sleep on the floor, sharing limited resources such as food and water. Amid this dire situation, the intervention has provided significant relief to those facing critical shortages of food and water.

The water provided by COOPI has helped us a lot. Our children are not at risk of diarrhea anymore. We used to consume unsafe water before, but now we have clean treated water”.

He and his family left behind everything they owned when they were displaced, facing numerous challenges and high costs along the way.

I have benefited from seeds and tools from COOPI. Due to the winter period, I have planted watermelons that were provided to me. Within 3 months I started harvesting my watermelons. I harvest more than 110 pcs of watermelons in a month and make about 1,100,000SDG a month, about 553 USD. The harvest of the watermelons has coincided with the Ramadan season when it is in high demand. This income has helped me cater for my family’s basic needs including food, health and education. Thank you to COOPI and donor for improving our living condition”.

The project, which ran for nine months, focused on three critical components: Food Security and Agricultural Livelihoods, Nutrition, and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH). Despite the challenging conditions in Mellit, a hard-to-reach area, COOPI, in collaboration with its local partner, has been steadfast in delivering humanitarian aid to both displaced individuals and host communities affected by the ongoing conflict and famine.

Since 2004, COOPI has been active in Sudan, providing both development and humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable groups affected by conflict and disasters, including refugees, displaced persons, and host communities. Over the years, COOPI has launched 110 projects, benefiting more than 4 million people through initiatives in food and nutrition, water security, disaster risk reduction, protection, economic development, and human rights.