Thirty years after the adoption of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC), Sudan stands at a critical juncture in realising and actualising children’s rights. On this year's Day of the African Child, child rights and child-focused agencies Save the Children International, Plan International, World Vision International and UNICEF call for the implementation and enforcement of laws and policies to ensure protection for all children in Sudan.

World Vision is mobilising the support of faith leaders of both Muslim and Christian faiths to advocate for change, as part of its approach to promote a protective environment for children. We are equipping faith leaders with communication skills, particularly on approaching sensitive topics that are often considered taboo or of which people are shy to speak (including female genital mutilation - FGM, early marriage, domestic abuse and menstrual health).

At least 7.1 million people in Sudan are severely food insecure and need urgent action. Internally displaced populations, refugees and conflict-affected host populations in Darfur, South Kordofan, as well as part of Blue Nile, are especially the hardest hit. As part of our interventions, World Vision is reaching 435,000 people each month through food distribution, 115,000 people through cash assistance, and 70,000 children across 81 schools through school meals.

Nearly two months of heavy rains and flooding experienced across Sudan has killed at least 100 people, displaced thousands, including vulnerable children and left a trail of devastation. The Government estimated that more than 650,000 people have been affected, leading it to declare a 90-day state of emergency. World Vision launched a US$ 1.5 million humanitarian response appeal to adequately provide assistance to an estimated 50,000 people in dire need of emergency assistance, in all of its four operational areas.

Somai Adam, 28 years old, a mother of four children first came to learn of the community learning sessions at a World Vision-run nutrition centre in Mershing, South Darfur state, where she had brought her child –now three years old, then just a little over six months old– for treatment. According to the community volunteers who referred her to the facility, her child was underweight for her age.