CAFOD and 'SOS Sudan' Visit

We were privileged to welcome Humanitarian Officer Emily from CAFOD, a charity we have worked closely with over many years, alongside Salih Abdel Mageed Eldouma, Executive Director of the NGO SOS Sudan. Together, they spoke to our Year 10 and Year 12 students about the ongoing conflict in Sudan- a crisis that, despite its scale, has received far too little attention in mainstream Western media.

Since civil war broke out in 2023, Sudan has become the site of the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Over 33 million people, more than half the country’s population, are now in urgent need of medical care, food and shelter, and the conflict shows no sign of ending.

A shortage of food and clean water has had a devastating impact on children in particular, with the youngest often unable to survive such conditions. Salih explained to our students how almost 70% of school-aged children are currently out of education, because they are forced to work to help their families afford basic necessities.

Answering Christ’s call to love our neighbour, CAFOD has been working in partnership with SOS Sudan to deliver vital humanitarian aid. In 2024 alone, they supported over 116,000 people, providing medical supplies, food, clean water and hygiene kits to those in need.

Following the assembly, our Kairos representatives met with Emily and Salih to deepen their understanding of the crisis. Inspired by what they heard, our students are already beginning to plan fundraising initiatives to support CAFOD’s work in Sudan. It was a powerful reminder that our community has a responsiblilty to take meaningful action in response to human suffering.

CAFOD is also encouraging supporters to sign a petition calling on the UK government to take stronger action to help end the crisis. If you would like to sign the petition, you can do so here.