As the war in Sudan enters its second year, 10 million people are displaced and 7 million people face life-threatening food shortages. This is predicted to be the worst famine the world has seen for decades.
Despite this, total funding pledged for Sudan is barely 10% of estimated need. The window to reduce the impact of the crisis is rapidly closing.
Rooted in the Sudanese spirit of nafeer - collective action - networks of mutual aid groups are filling the gaps to provide life-saving support, often in areas inaccessible to international organizations.
MUTUAL AID SUDAN COALITION
The Mutual Aid Sudan Coalition is a collective of organizations, from philanthropies to implementing partners, committed to direct, flexible funding for local groups responding to Sudan’s humanitarian crisis. Rather than asking local groups to change for international systems, the Coalition is adapting its approach to learn from and to meet mutual aid actors where they are.
The Coalition provides financial, technical, and advocacy support to mutual aid leaders, per their guidance and requests. Localization is a shift in the way aid works.
coalition principles & priorities
Direct
Funding should be provided as fast as possible with the fewest intermediaries. The Coalition minimizes indirect and added costs to maximize the funding reaching communities. Coalition members strive to cover administration costs separately from the amounts disbursed to mutual aid groups.
Flexible
In conflict, needs change rapidly. Mutual aid groups program flexibly to remain operational, safe, and responsive to changes. Funding for crisis response should be the same. The Coalition encourages flexible donations and offers multiple pathways to disburse funds that avoids disruption or delays when certain pathways are threatened by conflict.
Mobilize Resources
Mutual aid has received less than 1% of total funding for Sudan, yet it reaches every state in Sudan. The Coalition works in service of mutual aid to raise funds and awareness of their unique capability in an incredibly complex environment. The Coalition works with donors to identify a good pathway for support..
Accountable
When mutual aid groups talk about accountability, it’s first to the communities where they live. With a strong focus on transparency, mutual aid groups share the same information with communities as they do with donors - when funding arrives and how it is used
Strengthen Capacity
The Coalition recruits partners to provide training, skills development, and operational support as designed and requested by local partners. This builds on the core talent and expertise of mutual aid groups for greater understanding and collaboration between local and international actors.
Learn and Advocate
Mutual aid is providing a blueprint for ways to improve humanitarian aid in highly complex environments. The Coalition will evaluate innovations and share learnings from Sudan to influence international aid systems.