Creatives4Sudan
Creatives coming together to raise life-saving funds for the people escaping genocide in El-Fasher, Sudan
Welcome to Creatives4Sudan, a charity auction to support people affected by the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, specifically El Fasher.
What is happening?
In April 2023, a war against civilians broke out in Sudan, involving the RSF (a paramilitary force funded by the UAE amongst others) and the Sudanese Armed Forces.
In the two and a half years since, Sudan has experienced the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, which is also the largest humanitarian crisis since records began. Over 12 million people have been displaced from their homes. The official death toll stands at 150,000 people, but the number is certainly far greater, as 70% of the hospitals have been destroyed and in some areas of the country, estimates suggest up to 90% of deaths are unrecorded.
Why help now?
For eighteen months, El Fasher (the capital of north Darfur state) was under siege by the RSF. Two weeks ago, they took control of the city and began to conduct systematic massacres. Many thousands have been murdered, with the total death toll unknown. The killing has been so wholesale, blood is visible from space. There is no food to be found in El Fasher; famine has been declared in this area, and people are eating charcoal and leaves in an attempt to survive.
Thousands of civilians have escaped El Fasher to nearby Tawila, which already has a famine warning in place. As of September (even before the fall of El Fasher), over 25 million people face acute food insecurity.
Who are we fundraising in aid of? How can aid get through?
Emergency Response Rooms are grassroots Sudanese mutual aid groups operating across all 18 states in Sudan. They provide healthcare and psychosocial support, food assistance, education and civilian protection. They began as the Resistance Committees during the Sudanese Revolution and later evolved into support operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, running community kitchens and heath outreach in communities affected by the pandemic. When war broke out in 2023, they already had effective support structures in place to deliver aid to those most in need. They have been targeted with violence, but their decentralised, volunteer-based structures have proved resilient, and they are more able to reach those in need than many international aid bodies. Even in the most dire circumstances, Sudanese people are coming together to help each other. ERRs have been twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The proceeds of this fundraising auction will be directed to the El-Fasher ERR through the Sudan Solidarity Collective. This website will take you to the Khartoum ERR for a sense of their scale.
How can you help?
Provide something for our auction! Anyone in the creative sectors can participate, and there are loads of different prizes you can offer. Any suggestions are welcome, but here are a few ideas:
Authors
Signed books
One on one half hour session with an aspiring author about how to get published
Original poem
Illustrators
Signed prints
Original art
Booksellers
Personalised book recommendations
Book list curation for Christmas presents
Literary agent OR Editor
One on one half hour session about how to get published
Feedback on the first ten pages/three chapters of a manuscript
TV professional
Script read and feedback of first ten pages
TV set visit
Musical professional
Behind the scenes visit
Curated playlist
Music lessons
Crafter
Skills share/help session
One off item (knitted, built)
Chef
Cooking lesson
If you have any others, please do share! We will be in touch with all those donating by the 15th of November with more details inshallah. The auction will run from the 17th of November to the 30th of November.
If you would prefer to donate cash to SSC directly, click here or visit this page for grassroots organisations we recommend.
Image credits:
Top image: Birds on the Nile, Ashraf Moneim Mohamed, 2014
Second image (near How You Can Help): Women in War, Samah Essam Eldin, 2014,
Both from the collection of Imago Mundi