Skip to main content

Donate to help Sudanese refugees

After fleeing war in Sudan, families living in South Sudanese refugee camps now face new threats like cholera. Donate today to help keep them safe.

Sudan’s war forced Shaima to leave everything behind in search of safety. Today, the refugee camp in South Sudan where she now lives is facing an outbreak of life-threatening cholera.

In 2023, conflict broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan. 13 million people, including Shaima, made the difficult decision to flee their homes seeking safety and security.

Shaima was six months pregnant when she arrived at the transit camp in Renk, South Sudan. She and her family have now been there for over a year (scroll down to read more of Shaima’s story). The camp is four times over capacity which is contributing to the spread of cholera, a water-borne disease that can be deadly.

The cholera outbreak, coupled with the lack of clean water and essential supplies, is putting thousands of people at risk.

The need for sanitation is urgent. The growing number of people in the camp has overwhelmed the current infrastructure, and more toilet facilities are needed for our emergency cholera response.

Vincent Ogira, Response Lead for Oxfam speaks on Oxfam's response to the cholera situation in Renk. Photo: Herison Philip Osfaldo/Oxfam

Vincent Ogira, Sudan Crisis Response Lead

The good news is cholera is preventable with the right sanitation, clean water and hygiene. But urgent humanitarian aid is needed now for Sudanese refugees living in overcrowded camps. 

Will you donate now and help provide people like Shaima with the clean water, hygiene kits, essential supplies and cash assistance they need to survive? 

DONATE Now

"Look at the crisis in Sudan that is not ending soon"

How your donation can help

Your assistance is critical in addressing this growing crisis and providing long-term support to the people in these overcrowded refugee camps in South Sudan. Without urgent funding, people will continue to live in unsafe conditions, where they lack access to clean water and sanitation, and are at greater risk of waterborne diseases, like cholera. Here’s what your gift can help achieve:  

South Sudan: Refugee Asia* washing her hand at an Oxfam supported WASH facility at their shelter at the transit center in Renk. Photo: Peter Caton/Oxfam

Hygiene kits

$75 can help provide hygiene kits to keep families safe from illness and disease

Donate $75 now
South Sudan: Asia Ahmed* at her home in Renk, South Sudan. She and her family are among nearly a million people displaced by the ongoing conflict in Sudan. Photo: Herison Philip Osfaldo/Oxfam

Cash transfers

$185 can help fund urgently needed cash transfers so families can buy the essential supplies they need, like food and medicine

Donate $185 now
South Sudan: Oxfam is responding in the transit centre in Renk, South Sudan, where thousands of refugees from Sudan are currently living in makeshift homes. Photo: Herison Philip Osfaldo/Oxfam

Advocacy

$300 can support the ongoing work that Oxfam does with governments, advocating for more humanitarian aid where it’s needed, when it’s needed

Donate $300 now

Help us stop the deadly spread of cholera

“Despite all that we’ve managed to achieve, there still aren’t enough toilets or showers to keep up with the needs of people who are fleeing violence. This shortage of adequate water, sanitation and hygiene facilities is contributing to the spread of disease, including cholera, which is a grave concern in these conditions.” – Vincent Ogira is Oxfam Sudan’s Crisis Response Lead  Will you donate today and help provide clean water, hygiene kits, essential supplies and cash assistance to refugees who are still searching for safety? 

PLEASE GIVE WHAT YOU CAN

How Oxfam supports refugees

Shaima has been living in the camp for more than a year. When she arrived, all she had was two tops – one she would put under her children while they slept, and the other she would put over them. She feared that her children would go hungry. That’s when she was connected with Oxfam’s cash assistance program, which enabled her to help her family. Here’s her story:

“I came from Medani, Sudan, on 1 January 2024. When I came here, I was six months pregnant with Fahima. The situation was so difficult. I was pregnant and had to go to the forest to collect firewood for sale. 

I was the one responsible for everything at home. When I gave birth, I was sleeping down (on the floor) with my daughter and an insect bit on Fahima (my child) causing wound. 

So, the money Oxfam gave me, I used for buying a bed where all my children would sleep on. And I was happy. There is no snake or scorpion that can reach them on the bed. It has changed my life for better. 

South Sudan: Shaima Ali, a refugee from Sudan in Renk, South Sudan speaks on her experience relocating after being displaced from the conflict in Sudan while holding her baby Fahima during feeding time. Photo: Herison Philip Osfaldo/Oxfam

I used to think what my children would not eat in the morning, and evening. But after I got support from Oxfam, my children has never gone hungry

– Shaima, a refugee from Sudan

When the organisation [Oxfam] helped me, and I stopped going to the forest and started a small business to support myself. I received cash of SSP 200,000 (about AUD $50). With the money, the first thing I did was to buy baby kits. 

I bought oil, baby clothes and cotton wool because I did not have mama kit. I took a little amount from that money to start a small shop.” 

When you donate to Oxfam, you help us immediately respond with our local partners, providing the support families require so they can focus on their next steps. Your support also means we can quickly address evolving crises like cholera, as well as advocate for more humanitarian aid funding to help tackle poverty in the long term.  

Will you donate today to provide clean water, hygiene kits, essential supplies and cash assistance to refugees who are still searching for safety? 

DONATE Now

Frequently asked questions

Why are people fleeing Sudan?

The mass displacement from Sudan is primarily due to the ongoing civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which erupted in April 2023. Since then, homes, schools and hospitals have come under attack, amid extensive looting and burning. The health system is rapidly deteriorating. Clinics are struggling to cope with a life-threatening shortage of staff and supplies. Famine has been confirmed in 10 locations, with more areas at risk.

The violence has resulted in over 8.6 million internally displaced persons and 3.8 million refugees, making it one of the largest displacement crises in Africa.

Where are they living now?

While most people are displaced inside Sudan, over three million have escaped as refugees to neighbouring countries such as South Sudan, Chad and Egypt.

What are the conditions inside these camps?

Conditions in refugee camps are dire. Many camps suffer from overcrowding, inadequate sanitation, and limited access to healthcare and education. These challenges are exacerbated by funding shortages and logistical constraints. In South Sudan, the number of new arrivals far exceeds the absorption capacity of existing transit and reception centers. Transit sites designed for a few thousand people are hosting up to four times their intended capacity, resulting in overcrowding, poor sanitation, and rapid disease transmission.

Where will they go next?

With the conflict ongoing and no clear resolution in sight, many refugees face an uncertain future. While some may seek resettlement in third countries, the lack of sufficient international support and resettlement opportunities leaves many in a state of limbo. The protracted nature of the conflict means that durable solutions, such as voluntary repatriation or local integration, remain elusive for most.

What’s the humanitarian situation in South Sudan? 

The humanitarian crisis persists due to a combination of sporadic armed clashes, intercommunal violence, food insecurity, public health challenges, and climate shocks. These factors have severely affected people’s livelihoods and hindered access to essential services such as water, sanitation, education, and healthcare.

The influx of Sudanese refugees has further strained the country’s resources, complicating efforts to address the needs of both host communities and newcomers. The situation along the South Sudan-Sudan border remains critical. The continuous arrival of refugees, coupled with inadequate infrastructure and resources, poses significant challenges to humanitarian efforts.

What is Oxfam doing to help?

Oxfam leads water and sanitation efforts in the camps and currently supports water trucking, operations and maintenance of water and sanitation facilities, construction of new latrines, hygiene promotion.

As of April 2025, we have supported 247,857 people with access to safe water, sanitation, hygiene and protection services.