Sudan

Overview

In recent history, Sudan has been known as one of the most politically and economically unstable countries in the world. After years of civil war and unrest, the people of Sudan have been ravaged by senseless violence and poverty. An estimated ten percent of Sudan’s children are orphans - over 1.8 million of them - many of whom lost their parents during the war and are now living on the streets or in refugee camps. In Southern Sudan, one in four children dies before their fifth birthday.

This war-torn country is full of refugee camps that usually have no electricity and limited access to water.  These camps are full of disease, poverty, and horrific squalor.  Hospitals, medical facilities and schools are often not accessible to the children living in these camps.

Facts

There are tens of thousands of street children in Sudan.  Many of these children suffer needlessly as they:

• Become child laborers, often working for more than 14 hours per day, for little pay, in unsafe working conditions.
• Become involved in glue sniffing, drugs, and sexual abuse, resulting in unwanted pregnancies or sexually transmitted diseases.
• End up dying on the streets because of a lack of access to clean water and medical treatment.
• Are sometimes taken into ‘camps’ where they are forcefully converted to Islam.