With cash, came hope
In rural Gedaref, pregnant and lactating women benefit from unconditional cash grants integrated with health and nutrition services for healthier children
In her small compound in rural Wasat Al Gadaref, Alawiya sits surrounded by her five children, chopping onions to prepare a traditional Sudanese meal. Her older children pass her what she needs - water, salt and utensils, moving quietly in a rhythm shaped by daily routine.
Alawiya has lived with a disability since she was just seven years old. Yet she cares for her children with remarkable resilience. Her eldest daughter, Nariman, 13, helps with household chores, washing dishes while the younger ones take turns carrying Rokaya, the youngest.
Like many families in the neighbourhood, Alawiya struggles to provide enough food. The family relies on her husband’s irregular income, living day to day and prioritizing what little they have for meals.
The message that changed everything
One afternoon, while sitting inside her house, Alawiya heard an announcement from a community health worker using a roving megaphone.
“They said, pregnant and lactating mothers should come to the health facility for registration,” she recalls.
What she did not know was that the SANAD cash grant programme supported by UNICEF in partnership with the World Bank had just reached her community.
In 2025, the programme expanded to Gedaref State, targeting vulnerable pregnant and lactating women, including those with disabilities. At health facilities, women are registered for cash assistance and linked to essential health and nutrition services for their children, especially during the first 1,000 days, from pregnancy to the age of two, a critical window for growth and development.
With support from her husband, Alawiya arrived early at the nearby Terfa primary healthcare centre to register.
“I was happy to be included and given priority during registration,” she says.
Within a short time, she was enrolled. Since then, she has received two flexible cash transfers of 236,000 Sudanese Pounds each, sent directly to the phone. Support that has made a huge difference for her family.
“The money helped us a lot,” Alawiya explains.
“When it came, we bought everything we needed – food, water, soap – everything.”
Beyond cash
The SANAD programme goes beyond financial support.
At Terfa PHC, one-year-old Rokaya receives routine immunization, nutrition screening and care. The rest of the family can also access essential health services and medicines free of charge.
At the same facility, Alawiya participates in mother support group sessions, where women learn how to prepare balanced and nutritious meals for their children to help prevent malnutrition.
Better diets for healthier children
As Alawiya stirs a pot of peanut sauce mixed with greens, her children wait patiently. Soon, she will serve the meal with pieces of bread—simple, but more nutritious than before.
For mothers like Alawiya, unconditional cash support means being able to afford food, water and basic essentials, while also accessing lifesaving health services for their children.
Since its inception, the SANAD integrated cash programme—now operating in Red Sea, Gedaref and Northern states—has reached more than 182,000 household members with cash and services. The programme is helping to address food insecurity, improve health outcomes, reduce malnutrition and strengthen the resilience of vulnerable families.
