Implemented by War Child Alliance
December 2025 – October 2027
The ongoing conflict in Sudan has created one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the world. After nearly two years of fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, more than 11.5 million people have been forcibly displaced and an estimated 30 million people now require humanitarian assistance. Children have been particularly affected: millions have been uprooted from their homes, exposed to violence, and cut off from education and essential services.
In the remote Nuba Mountains region, the crisis has been compounded by long-standing isolation and limited humanitarian access. The area has historically received little international assistance due to decades of conflict and restricted access. Since the outbreak of the current war in 2023, the region has hosted more than one million internally displaced people. Many newly arrived children have fled intense violence in states such as Khartoum, Al Jazira, and Kordofan, arriving after traumatic journeys and often without stable support systems.
Displacement, exposure to violence, and prolonged uncertainty have left many children experiencing acute psychological distress. In several camps and transit areas, children show signs of anxiety, grief, withdrawal, and difficulty regulating emotions. Some have lost caregivers during displacement, and for the first time in recent years, unaccompanied and separated children have been identified among new arrivals. Despite these urgent needs, access to specialized mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services remains extremely limited in the Nuba Mountains. Only a small number of organizations operate in the region, and few have the technical capacity to deliver structured mental health interventions for children and caregivers. Local organizations have taken a leading role in responding to the crisis but often lack the resources and training needed to address the growing scale of psychosocial needs.
In response to this gap, Peace of Mind and War Child, in partnership with the local organization Skills for Nuba Mountains, will implement a project designed to expand access to evidence-based mental health and psychosocial support for conflict-affected children and their caregivers in Kauda and surrounding communities. The initiative aims to strengthen local capacity while delivering direct support to families who have experienced displacement, violence, and prolonged instability.
Through the implementation of War Child’s evidence-based methodologies TeamUp and Be There, the project will provide structured psychosocial activities that support emotional regulation, resilience, and social connection. TeamUp sessions will engage more than 2,000 children in movement-based and group activities designed to help them regain a sense of safety, manage stress, and reconnect with peers. In parallel, the Be There methodology will support more than 900 parents and caregivers through group sessions that help them manage stress, strengthen their ability to support their children, and foster healthier family environments in the face of ongoing uncertainty.
Alongside direct service delivery, the project will build sustainable local capacity by training and coaching 30 facilitators from Skills for Nuba Mountains in the implementation of both methodologies. By equipping local actors with the tools and knowledge needed to deliver high-quality MHPSS support, the project seeks not only to address urgent mental health needs but also to strengthen longer-term, locally led responses for children and families affected by conflict in the Nuba Mountains.