Our disaster response teams are using cargo planes to deliver life-saving food and supplies to displaced and suffering families in the country's isolated areas.
As violence continues to escalate in populous areas of Sudan, tens of thousands of families have fled for safety to remote areas of the country—many of which are inaccessible by road because of weather conditions and ongoing conflict.
Food airdrops from a cargo plane provide lifesaving relief to areas without road access.
For many months, the lack of safe passage has meant that already-suffering families have been cut off from access to food.
Samaritan’s Purse recently started a food and supplies delivery operation using cargo planes to strategically and safely drop supplies of maize, beans, and salt into open fields for hungry families.
We employed the use of a cargo plane to travel where roads were impassable or too dangerous to navigate.
Serving Amid Crisis
David Phillips, a deputy director in our international projects department, explained that there is a major humanitarian crisis in the country of Sudan. “Fighting broke out between rival factions, which has caused a massive displacement of people across the country. We are responding by meeting people where they are and providing for their physical and spiritual needs.
Locals help transport the food from the drop location to people in need.
“These food drops are into communities cut off either because of the roads or because of the dynamics having to do with the conflict.”
Since April 2023, when violence erupted in places like the capital of Khartoum and in the western region of Darfur, Samaritan’s Purse has been serving displaced families with food, medicine, shelter, and other resources.
The men and women celebrate God’s provision from the sky.
This builds on the work of Samaritan’s Purse in the region over the past 30 years. We’ve established wells and water points to provide villages with access to clean drinking water. We’ve helped to care for victims of trauma, provided literacy training at local churches, helped families improve their futures through livelihoods training, and conducted Biblical leadership training at the local and national levels.
Any spillage caused by broken bags was collected and sorted to reduce waste of valuable calories.
In the early part of last year, when road travel was still possible, Samaritan’s Purse began moving truck convoys into the area carrying many tons of relief, including much-needed food and shelter items.
With the latest waves of displaced people, we continue our life-saving work in Jesus’ Name.
Please continue to pray for peace for the region and that these families that they would experience the love of God through our work.
“We’re doing all of this because we want people to know that God has not forgotten them in the midst of a crisis and that He loves them,” Phillips said. “Samaritan’s Purse is ready to go the extra mile to serve them in Jesus’ Name.”
