When Habiba first arrived at the feeding centre with her baby, Sarah, the child was gravely ill. Two months later, Habiba is watching her daughter smile again.
Habiba and Sarah feature on the cover of our 2025 Annual Report. Read the full report here.
The doctors at the Stabilisation Centre for Severe Acute Malnutrition at Hussein Mustafa Children’s Hospital in Gedaref met Sarah as a child whose body had begun to shut down.
“Her body was swollen. Very swollen. She had a rash on her entire body,” Habiba explains. “All her skin peeled off.”
Sarah also had a high fever and persistent diarrhoea that had stripped her small body of what little nourishment it had.
Doctors found she was suffering from severe acute malnutrition, an incredibly dangerous condition for anyone, let alone a young child.
After prolonged malnutrition, the human body cannot safely absorb food in normal quantities. Treatment therefore has to be slow, deliberate and carefully staged. Too much too soon can be fatal.
Thankfully, Sarah was in the right place. The Hussein Mustafa Children’s hospital is full of experts who knew how to treat Sarah’s condition. Islamic Relief has been supporting the facility to provide therapeutic food supplies and nutritional support for malnourished children and their mothers as part of our response to the crisis in Sudan.
Rice, lentils, eggs and time
At the stabilisation centre, Sarah received rice, lentils, potatoes, eggs and oranges. She was also given therapeutic milk and specially formulated biscuits, designed to provide concentrated energy, protein and essential micronutrients in a form that children with severe acute malnutrition can tolerate.
These therapeutic foods support gradual weight gain, help correct nutritional deficiencies and allow the body to recover safely from prolonged malnutrition.
“They gave her everything,” Habiba told us.
The results came gradually but definitively. Sarah’s swelling receded, her rash healed and the fever broke. Her skin that had peeled away in patches had since grown back. 2 months after arriving at the centre, Sarah is eating and in a much more stable condition.
One child saved, millions more waiting
Sarah’s recovery is cheering, but, unfortunately, it is not the norm.
Across Sudan, an estimated 3.7 million children under 5 are currently living with acute malnutrition. In Gedaref State alone, a recent Islamic Relief assessment found that 83% of families do not have enough food to get through the day.
The United Nations estimates that more than 30 million people across Sudan – over half the population – need humanitarian assistance. In conflict-affected areas to the west, child malnutrition rates have breached emergency thresholds and supplies of therapeutic food are critically short.
Habiba is already thinking about what comes next. She does not stay in one place for long. She has a son in Khartoum who is ill. There is another in Gedaref trying to make some income from a water pump and a small plot of land. There are relatives who had walked for 5 days in search of safety.
But for now, with baby Sarah’s health restored, things look a little brighter for Habiba’s family.
Islamic Relief’s support
Islamic Relief has worked in Sudan since 1984 and is currently operational across 9 states.
Our support at the stabilisation centre goes beyond providing specialised food. We provide micronutrient supplements and guidance for mothers and caregivers on infant feeding practices to give children the best chance of staying healthy.
Elsewhere in Gedaref, we installed a water desalination unit at Al-Salam Hospital, ensuring the facility has a reliable supply of clean, safe drinking water. We are also supplying therapeutic food to malnourished children at Al-Salam.
Across our Sudan response, Islamic Relief has reached more than 2 million people with lifesaving aid – including food, medical supplies, cash assistance and agricultural support – since the conflict began.
The need is far greater than what current funding allows but you can help, by donating generously to Islamic Relief’s Sudan Emergency Appeal today.
Sarah and Halima feature on the cover of our 2025 Annual Report. Read the full report here.
