Our Nutrition Team Supports Mothers in Times of War

The situation in Sudan is dire. The country is in the midst of a civil war that began in April 2023, and the risk of famine is high. Approximately half of the population—24.8 million people—requires humanitarian assistance, with more than 2.9 million children suffering from malnutrition. In the midst of these immense challenges, our Nutrition team is working with women and their children to build community and share lifesaving feeding practices.

Marwa Malik, Nutrition Officer with International Medical Corps, and Majda Idres, a community leader and volunteer, recently led a series of sessions with a group of women in Sinja, Sudan, before the city was evacuated due to violent clashes.

Marwa Malik leads a mother-to-mother support group, where our nutrition team shares breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, and provides training to pregnant and lactating women. The women always bring their children to the group.

Radia gives a curious glance to the camera while her mother, Arafa, listens to the instructions from Majda Idres.

One-year-old Ashgan lives with her mother, Muna (right), father and several siblings.

Majda Idres talks about proper breastfeeding techniques before passing around the lesson book, which features examples of proper breastfeeding positions.

“Seeing the smiles on these children’s faces and knowing that they will have a better chance at a healthy future brings me immense joy,” says Malik. “When I teach mothers about nutrition and witness the positive impact on their health and their children’s health, it reaffirms why I do this work. Together, we are not just fighting diseases. We are building stronger, healthier communities. I hope the training we provided the women in Sinja before we evacuated is serving them well until we can return.”

“As a leader of the mother-to-mother support groups, I’ve witnessed the profound impact our sessions have on displaced mothers,” says Idres. “They tell me how these gatherings make them feel safe and supported, not only in improving their children’s nutrition but also in becoming more involved in our community.”

Ashgan looks at the breastfeeding manual that was passed around the group to share the essential tips for nurturing your baby through balanced nutrition. For the mothers’ benefit, the text is in both Arabic and English.

Marwa Malik begins each mother-to-mother support group meeting by recapping key points from the last session, to ensure everyone has the same level of knowledge.

Three-year-old Abdallah sits in front of his mother, Mushriga Alzain (centre), during the group meeting.

The mothers learn about comfortable breastfeeding positions from an instructional book that shares techniques to help foster a natural and nurturing experience for both mother and baby.

Mother-to-mother support groups are just one way that International Medical Corps provides lifesaving nutrition services to vulnerable communities across Sudan. Despite ongoing conflict and displacement, we operate 59 outpatient therapeutic programmes, 59 target supplementary treatment centres and six stabilisation centres for malnourished children with life-threatening medical complications. Learn more about our work in Sudan.