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  • 6 hours ago
In Sudan, 21 million people are facing acute food shortages. The World Food Program warns that North Darfur and Kordofan are on the brink of famine. Community kitchens are trying to alleviate the hunger crisis.
Transcript
00:01Batoy al-Sharaf fled Al-Fashir in October last year, when the city fell to Dafur's notorious rapid support forces.
00:08Since then, the 60-year-old has been living at this camp for displaced people in Tawila.
00:14Like many others, she hasn't been able to get food and supplies from international aid organizations.
00:23I ask my neighbors to give me food. The little food I have now, I got from my neighbor Munira.
00:31Sometimes when my neighbors have extra food, they invite me to go and eat with them.
00:39The makeshift settlements in Tawila are sprawling. More than 650,000 people currently live here.
00:45A local aid worker says the task of feeding everyone is immense.
00:52Aid organizations like Plan International are bringing in food.
00:58So too are other organizations such as the World Food Programme, the Red Crescent and the German Welt Hungerhilfe.
01:07Many organizations provide food supplies, but it's still not enough.
01:12There are simply too many people here.
01:19Filling the gap are community kitchens.
01:21This one is largely funded by donations from Sudanese individuals and organizations.
01:27It feeds about 5,000 people per day.
01:30Amira Saleh founded the organization as a women's shelter back in Al-Fashir until she herself had to flee.
01:38Her team dishes out 1,000 plates a day, but only one for each family.
01:43It's a first-come, first-served basis and sometimes there isn't enough to go around.
01:49We provide food such as rice and sometimes we make pasta.
01:53Additionally, there's meat and vegetables.
01:55We also provide lentils and food for children.
01:57We also have a project to distribute milk for the children who are sick.
02:03But it's extremely difficult to get those supplies in.
02:07Pulses and grains are transported from as far as 800 kilometers away through dangerous territory
02:12where drivers face extortion at both Sudanese army and RSF paramilitary checkpoints.
02:20This has sent food prices sky-high with a kilo of onions costing as much as 15 US dollars.
02:27And the people need more than just food, says Saleh.
02:30She wishes she could offer education and protection for girls too, like she did back in Al-Fashir.
02:39We would like to build schools because most of the children are currently not in school.
02:53We also would like to build safe spaces for women and girls who are exposed to violence.
03:08But for now, filling plates with food requires all the energy and funds she has.
03:13And while these families have had their day's meal, there are so many other people in need.
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