English transcript

Community kitchens in Sudan known as Takiyahs have been a lifeline to millions of Sudanese

who have been affected by the fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary rapid

support forces and have been struggling to find meals to be able to survive. Now those Takiyahs

provide food for those in need and in many cases are the only source of food for millions and

of Sudanese. This Takiyah in Alno Hospital in Omdurman in the Sudanese capital Khartoum

provides meals to patients inside the hospital but also to hundreds of others who live nearby

and who struggle to find meals on a daily basis. But community kitchens despite their significance

and their roles as lifeline to many people are facing challenges in operating. According to

Islamic Relief more than 40 percent of community kitchens have been forced to close down in the

past six months because of soaring prices of food commodities making it very hard for such

kitchens to be able to deliver food to those in need. In the beginning we used to make three meals

a day because of the soaring prices and because of little support we now make only one meal and

sometimes three or four days can go by without a meal at all. The challenges facing community

kitchens come at a time when millions of Sudanese are facing severe food shortages and in some parts

of the country facing outright famine. Aid organizations say unless donors meet their

pledges and promises to fund programs and to fund community kitchens such as this one then millions

of Sudanese will be facing hunger and could die in the coming weeks and months due to food shortages

and lack of meals.