Starving for survival: Zahra’s struggle to feed her children in South Kordofan

A mother’s struggle

In a remote village in South Kordofan, Zahra sits quietly beside her children. For more than two weeks, the only food she could find was boiled Khudra – a leafy green usually eaten with other ingredients, but now her children’s only meal.

“They don’t sleep at night because they’re hungry,” she says softly.

Nine months pregnant, Zahra is malnourished and anaemic. Three of her seven children are also severely undernourished. When she went to the nearest health facility, medicines and nutrition supplements had long since run out.

Conflict deepens the crisis

Months of intensified fighting and siege conditions in Kadugli have cut thousands of families off from food, medicines and safe water. Like many others, Zahra fled her home but found herself facing another crisis – hunger.

“I don’t know how I will give birth to my baby,” she whispers. 

Her eldest daughter, Farisha, is extremely weak; even simple movements are a struggle.

Zahra’s story is echoed across the state. In South Kordofan, more than 63,000 children are acutely malnourished, including over 10,000 with severe acute malnutrition – the deadliest form. Across Sudan, hunger and extreme food insecurity are pushing children and families to the brink.

A lifeline arrives

For months, reaching children like Zahra’s was almost impossible. But in recent weeks, UNICEF, together with partners, delivered the first consignment of lifesaving nutrition supplies and medicines to South Kordofan since October 2024. The convoy brought 6,300 cartons of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) – a high-energy peanut paste used to treat severe acute malnutrition – as well as essential medicines.

At the nutrition clinic in Kadugli hospital, mothers and caregivers queue patiently. Children are screened using mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) tapes, weighed and enrolled in treatment on the spot.

Tatir’s first taste of recovery

Zahra’s three-year-old, Tatir, is among them. Her arm is tiny as the health worker measures it. She is malnourished and immediately enrolled in the programme. Tatir clutches the sachet of RUTF and takes a first bite – her face brightens at the taste.

For Zahra, taking home the sachets is a relief she has been waiting for over many months.

“At least now my children have a chance,” she says.

Sustained access is critical

Urgent and sustained humanitarian access to communities affected by the crisis remains critical. UNICEF and partners stand ready to scale up lifesaving support for children and families – but without access and resources, many more children will not survive.