Water Is Life: Help CARE Sudan Bring Clean Water to 100,000 Families

Project Title: Clean Water Initiative: Sustainable Water Access for Vulnerable Communities in Sudan

Organization: CARE Sudan

Project Overview:

For generations, women and girls in Sudan's most remote communities have spent hours each day pushing heavy hand pumps up and down, struggling to draw enough water for their families. The work was exhausting, time-consuming, and there was no guarantee the water was even clean. They walked long, perilous distances through conflict-affected areas, facing unimaginable risks including gender-based violence and harassment, just to bring water home .

Fatima, a displaced woman living in the Kass IDP camp in South Darfur, remembers those days well. "In the past, women and girls used to spend hours struggling to push the water hand pump up and down to get their daily water," she shares. But today, her life has changed. "Thanks to CARE who introduced the solar-powered water pumps, which enabled us to get clean and treated water directly to our jerrycans" .

CARE Sudan has worked in the country since 1979, implementing humanitarian and development programs focused on water, sanitation, health, and women's empowerment . Our Clean Water Initiative brings sustainable water solutions to communities cut off from safe water—transforming not just access to water, but the lives of the women and girls who bear the burden of collection.

The Crisis: Water Insecurity in Sudan's Conflict Zones

Sudan faces one of the world's largest humanitarian crises. Over 30 million people need humanitarian assistance. More than 12 million are displaced—the world's largest displacement crisis. Conflict has devastated infrastructure, including water systems, and left millions without access to clean water .

The consequences are deadly. Between August 2024 and May 2025, Sudan's Ministry of Health reported over 60,000 cases of cholera, a deadly disease primarily spread through contaminated water . Over 70% of health facilities are non-operational, and those still functioning face severe shortages of clean water for medical purposes .

Women and girls bear the heaviest burden:

• They are primarily responsible for water collection, spending hours each day on this task

• The journey to fetch water exposes them to violence, harassment, and assault 

• Lack of safe water near homes forces them into dangerous situations daily

• When water sources are contaminated, their families suffer from preventable diseases

In the remote village of Alkalakil, South Darfur, women and girls faced the daily threat of violence as they walked long, perilous distances just to find water amidst growing conflict. The journey exposed them to unimaginable risks, including gender-based violence .

CARE Sudan's Track Record in Water Programming

CARE has demonstrated consistent impact in water programming across Sudan:

Project Components

CARE Sudan's Clean Water Initiative integrates multiple interventions to ensure sustainable impact:

Target Beneficiaries

The Clean Water Initiative prioritizes Sudan's most vulnerable populations:

• Internally displaced persons (IDPs) in camps and informal settlements across Darfur, Kordofan, Kassala, Gedaref, Gezira, Khartoum, and Red Sea states 

• Women and girls who bear primary responsibility for water collection and face GBV risks during journeys to water sources 

• Host communities sharing limited resources with displaced populations

• Refugees, including South Sudanese refugees in East Darfur and Ethiopian refugees in Gedaref 

• Health facilities requiring clean water for medical services 

• Schools and public facilities needing safe water and sanitation for students and communities

Geographic Focus

CARE Sudan operates across multiple states, with active offices and programming in:

• South Darfur (including Kass IDP camp, Alkalakil village, Dreej IDPs Camp in Nyala)

• East Darfur (including El Daein water yard serving 24,000+ people)

• South Kordofan

• Kassala

• Gedaref

• Gezira

• Khartoum

• Red Sea (Port Sudan) 

Expected Outcomes

• Sustainable water access for thousands of vulnerable families through solar-powered systems, rehabilitated hand pumps, and new boreholes

• Reduced time and labor burden for women and girls in water collection, freeing hours for education, work, and family care

• Decreased risk of gender-based violence during water-fetching journeys by locating water sources closer to communities

• Improved health outcomes through reduced waterborne diseases including cholera, diarrhea, and other preventable illnesses

• Enhanced dignity, safety, and privacy for women and girls through appropriate sanitation facilities

• Strengthened community capacity through trained water committees and local management

• Sustainable water infrastructure through solar technology and community ownership

• Reduced disease outbreaks through integrated WASH and health facility water supply

The Impact: Voices from the Community

Fatima's Story

Fatima lives in the Kass IDP camp in South Darfur. For years, she spent hours each day struggling at a hand pump, pushing it up and down to draw water that might not even be clean. The work was physically demanding and consumed time she could have spent on other duties or income-generating activities .

Then CARE arrived. With support from the Government of Canada, CARE installed solar-powered water pumps in Fatima's camp. Today, her life is transformed.

"We are glad that now we can get water from the taps easily," Fatima shares. "I cannot believe it. I just spent a few minutes at the water point to fill my pots and go back home to perform other duties or go to work on time. Women and girls have several household chores" .

Haroun Yahya's Perspective

Haroun Yahya serves on the water community committee at Kass IDP camp, trained by CARE to manage and maintain the water point. He explains how sustainability is built into the project:

"CARE has helped us set up water community committees to manage and maintain the water points. Usually, community members fetch water in the early morning and in the evening. We use the solar-powered pumps to fill the water tanks to help make water available all the time" .

The Alkalakil Village Transformation

In the remote village of Alkalakil, South Darfur, women and girls once faced the daily threat of violence as they walked long distances to find water amidst growing conflict. The journey exposed them to unimaginable risks, including gender-based violence .

With support from Global Affairs Canada, CARE Sudan installed a water hand pump in this village. Now, the community can access adequate safe drinking water, protecting the dignity and lives of these resilient women and girls .

The El Daein Water Yard

In East Darfur, thousands of people fleeing conflict in North Darfur have sought safety, putting pressure on already strained resources. With funding from USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, CARE installed a solar system to operate a water yard in El Daein. The renovated water yard now provides safe drinking water to over 24,000 people—both host community members and newly displaced families .

The Dreej Health Facility Water Supply

In Dreej IDPs Camp, Nyala, South Darfur, the escalating armed conflict has resulted in over 70% of health facilities becoming non-operational. Those still functioning face severe shortages of medical supplies, staff, and access to clean water .

With funding from the European Union Humanitarian Fund, CARE implemented a vital water supply system at the health facility, ensuring access to safe and clean water for both medical purposes and the surrounding community .

Hussein Arban's Vision

Hussein Arban, CARE Sudan Deputy Country Director, summarizes the organization's mission: "CARE works with partners like the Government of Canada to provide displaced people and host communities with reliable access to clean water safely. This reduces the risk of waterborne diseases like cholera and alleviates the burden and dangers faced by women and girls who often travel long distances to collect water" .

Sustainability Approach

CARE's Clean Water Initiative is designed for long-term sustainability through:

• Solar technology reducing dependence on fuel and costly maintenance while ensuring continuous operation

• Community Water Committees trained to manage and maintain water points independently 

• Integration with health facilities ensuring water access for medical purposes 

• Women's participation in water committee leadership and decision-making

• Partnerships with government institutions, UN agencies, and local authorities

• Ongoing maintenance systems established before project completion

• Community education promoting hygiene and sanitation practices that last

Partnerships and Coordination

CARE Sudan works in close coordination with:

• Government of Canada (Global Affairs Canada) 

• USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance 

• European Union Humanitarian Fund 

• Sudan Humanitarian Fund 

• Federal Ministry of Health and State Ministries of Health

• UN agencies including UNICEF and WHO

• Health and WASH Cluster partners

• Local community-based organizations

This coordination ensures alignment with national protocols, avoids duplication, and maximizes the impact of every intervention.

Call to Action

In a country where over 30 million people need humanitarian assistance, where 12 million are displaced, where cholera outbreaks claim lives daily, and where women and girls risk violence just to fetch water, your support can make the difference between survival and catastrophe .

Hussein Arban reminds us: "The need is overwhelming, far beyond the support available" .

Your Contribution:

• $50 - Water filters for one family, providing immediate safe drinking water

• $100 - Hygiene kits for 10 families (buckets, soap, water purification tablets)

• $200 - Hand pump well maintenance, keeping existing water points functioning

• $250 - Water testing equipment to ensure water quality

• $500 - New borehole drilling supplies, opening access to clean groundwater

• $1,000 - Solar panel installation for a community water pump

• $2,500 - Complete hand pump installation for a village

• $5,000 - Comprehensive water system for a health facility, serving patients and community

• $10,000 - Full community water system with solar power, storage, and distribution

Join CARE Sudan today. Help us bring clean water, dignity, and hope to Sudan's most vulnerable communities—one drop, one family, one village at a time.