Save the Children delivers lifesaving medicines to over 80,000 children in Tawila after three-week journey

Save the Children delivered 30 metric tons of medicine and nutrition supplies to Tawila, North Darfur, Sudan, on March 11, 2026, following a three-week road journey from Port Sudan, according to a press release by Save the Children. The shipment is expected to support over 80,000 children and 57,000 adults. It is enough to keep 20 health facilities and mobile clinics running for six months.

Tawila hosts more than 650,000 internally displaced people, most of whom fled violent attacks in North Darfur’s Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps last year. Displaced families are largely dependent on humanitarian agencies for health and nutrition services. This is Save the Children’s fourth consignment to Tawila since February 2025 and the first since a massive influx of displaced people in October 2025. The supplies were part of a larger drug consignment that arrived in Port Sudan from Nairobi. The route crossed extreme desert terrain, perilous roads, and a volatile security environment.

The delivery includes essential drugs such as antibiotics to treat respiratory, gastrointestinal, and urinary tract infections, as well as fluids, multivitamins, topical medications, ear and eye drops, treatment for malnutrition, and medication for cholera. Health facilities in Tawila were dangerously low on medicines just as thousands of displaced families arrived. Urgent restocking was essential to prevent the collapse of maternal and child health services. The delivery also addresses escalating malnutrition, famine risk, and disease outbreaks in overcrowded displacement sites. Tawila is described as one of the hardest-to-reach areas of Sudan.

Dr. Bashir Kamal Eldin, Health & Nutrition Director of Save the Children in Sudan, said:

“This delivery comes at a critical moment as humanitarian needs continue to escalate across Darfur, where large-scale displacement and limited access to healthcare are placing children at extreme risk.”

He added that the shipment will refill essential medical stocks and support health facilities serving displaced populations. The delivery also strengthens preparedness for future humanitarian access to other areas of North Darfur, including El Fasher, once conditions allow for safe humanitarian movement. Dr. Eldin noted that timely access to these supplies “can mean the difference between life and death for thousands of displaced families.” Save the Children has worked in Sudan since 1983.

After nearly three years of conflict, Sudan is facing the world’s largest displacement crisis, with more than 12 million people — one fifth of the population — forced from their homes, including about 5 million children. Save the Children remains committed to delivering health and nutrition services across Sudan, including mobile clinics, maternal healthcare, and treatment for malnourished children. The organization states that humanitarian organizations cannot meet these growing needs alone. Sustained support from donors and partners is described as critical to ensure uninterrupted supply chains. Save the Children provides programming for children and families affected by conflict, displacement, extreme poverty, and hunger.