How UNICEF Helps Malnourished Mothers and Babies in Sudan

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Displaced by war in Sudan, many families are unable to find nutritious food 

Almost two years into Sudan’s devastating civil war, 10.8 million people, half of whom are children, have left their homes in search of safety. Cut off from their livelihoods and support systems, displaced families on the move are grappling with the harsh reality of finding food. 

For many, daily meals consist of inadequate and non-nutritious food, when food is available at all.

Qabil Awad was seven months pregnant when she and her three children fled Khartoum. With little or nothing to eat, her health suffered. Three-month-old Mohammed was born healthy, but failed to gain weight because Qabil lacked sufficient breast milk to feed him.

At UNICEF-supported Alkarama health clinic in Kassala state, Qabil received treatment for both malaria and severe malnutrition. “Our focus is on treating and supporting the mother to ensure she is healthy enough to breastfeed,” explained Hawa, a nutritionist at the clinic.

VIDEO: With food insecurity on the rise, babies and moms need urgent aid 

Ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) can restore a severely malnourished child to health in a matter of weeks 

Hiba's daughter Awtad is also being treated at the clinic. Unwell since the family left Khartoum, Awtad was screened for malnutrition; doctors gave Hiba ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) with instructions on how and when Awtad should eat it. They also told her to make sure Awtad washes her hands before she eats.

RUTF is an energy dense, micronutrient paste made from powdered milk, peanuts, butter, vegetable oil, sugar and a mix of vitamins and minerals. It comes packaged in individual servings and is easy for parents and caregivers to use, with no preparation required. A six- to eight-week course of RUTF can restore the health of a severely malnourished child.

"I can only get two meals a day," Hiba said. "However, when I get some money from my husband, who we left in Khartoum, I can then afford bread and sugar and other foods. If I don't find enough food, I have no other solution but to wait.” 

Cholera outbreaks pose a deadly risk to severely malnourished children

Young children suffering from severe malnutrition — also known as severe wasting — are much more likely to die of common childhood infections like diarrhea, pneumonia and measles.

In many communities hosting families displaced by the war, water supplies are strained, while in conflict hot spots, essential water and sanitation infrastructure has been destroyed. These unsanitary conditions increase the risks of hygiene-related illnesses, such as cholera.

Many displaced parents and caregivers recount consuming potentially contaminated water and food as they fled the war, with their children suffering from diarrhea, a common symptom of cholera, an intestinal infection that causes dehydration and can kill within hours if untreated. Children under 5 living in conflict-affected areas are particularly vulnerable. 

A cholera outbreak was declared in Sudan in August 2024. By early January 2025, more than 50,000 cases had been confirmed across 11 states, resulting in more than 1,350 associated deaths. In Kassala, where many displaced families have sought refuge, cases had been decreasing until October 2024, when an influx of families from East Al Jazirah caused a new surge in infections. 

UNICEF Sudan: committed to staying and delivering for children

UNICEF is committed to ensuring the children of Sudan receive the essential services they rely on to survive. In 2025, in the areas of health and nutrition, UNICEF plans to reach:

• 3 million women and children with access to primary health care in UNICEF-supported facilities
• more than 558,000 children with treatment for severe acute malnutrition
• 1.7 million primary caregivers of children under 2 with counseling on infant and child feeding
• 8.9 million people with a sufficient quantity of safe water
• over 1.3 million children with vaccination for measles
• 5 million people with handwashing behavior change programs
• 750,000 people with critical water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) supplies

“The ongoing conflict makes delivering lifesaving supplies throughout the country incredibly difficult as permit approvals, checkpoints and consignment inspections can delay the journeys drastically, in addition to security challenges," said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa. "We continue to call on the Government of Sudan, and all other concerned parties, to help ensure sustained, unimpeded and safe access to reach children wherever they are in Sudan."

Three states, six children and not enough to eat

Rasha, a displaced mother from Khartoum, fled across three states with her six children. Her nine-month-old son, Omer, is also being treated for malnutrition at Alkamara clinic. “We have been suffering since the beginning of the war," she said. "At first, we were displaced to Gezira, then Gedaref, and now in Kassala.”

“We came to the clinic here and they gave us a feeding schedule and transferred us to the hospital where he was given milk," said Rasha, the relief visible on her face. "After 12 days, his condition improved but we continue to follow up with the doctor, and every time she weighs him, he is making progress and provided with more nutrition supplements."

UNICEF estimates that 770,000 children under 5 in Sudan will suffer from the deadliest form of malnutrition, severe acute malnutrition, in 2025. More than half the population faces high levels of acute food insecurity; famine conditions have spread to at least five locations.

Learn more about how UNICEF tackles child malnutrition around the world.

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