For the past quarter of a century Kids for Kids has worked tirelessly in the remote and forgotten villages of Darfur, Sudan, delivering sustainable projects to improve the lives of children caught up in the ongoing conflict, which the United Nations describes as the “worst humanitarian crisis in the world today”.
Founded by Patricia Parker OBE in 2001, and supported by a dedicated team of volunteers we have effected real impact across more than 100 villages and 600,000 people since that time, lifting families out of abject poverty and enabling them to live with a degree of dignity that the harsh realities of life in the region would ordinarily deny.
Patricia’s focus, from her very first encounter with the young boy, walking alone in the desert on a seven hour trip to get water for his family, was to enable and empower communities to help themselves. This has been achieved through Kids For Kids provision of the loan of goats, to provide protein-rich milk to undernourished children; handpumps to provide clean water in our villages; planting trees to slow the spread of the desert; education through the provision of kindergartens for the generations of children coming through as well as crucial clinical aid in the form of midwives, first aid workers and the training of paravets.
Says Patricia, “25 years ago, my hope was to provide long term sustainable projects to improve lives of children whom I found living in real deprivation – when something could be done about it. Today the humanitarian situation is desperate, and thanks to our amazing volunteers in Darfur Kids for Kids is providing emergency aid. We are one of the few organisations able to still work in Darfur. The milestone of a quarter of a century is a moment not only to reflect on what has been achieved, but also, it’s a call to action to help children who are facing starvation right now”.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who has supported us throughout this journey, who has donated both money and time to alleviate the suffering of the forgotten children of Darfur, and continue to do so as we embark on the next phase of our mission.
