Psychosocial Care for Sudan’s Children in Crisis
Summary
In 2025, Medical Teams International (MTI) committed to strengthen mental health resilience and psychosocial well-being for 27,980 conflict-affected children and caregivers in Sudan’s White Nile refugee camps. The war has displaced millions, leaving children to cope with trauma from violence, family separation, poverty, and disrupted education. Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services remain critically underfunded, creating severe gaps in care and community support. As part of MTI’s broader health programming in Sudan—which includes primary health care, nutrition, and cholera response—this project integrates MHPSS into existing health services to provide holistic, coordinated care. Medical teams will establish child friendly spaces (CFS) in seven camps, train 240 community health workers and community psychosocial workers, and equip health professionals with the World Health Organization’s Mental Health Gap Action Programme training to strengthen clinical services. Measurable outcomes include the more than 27,000 children and caregivers engaged in CFS activities, health workers trained, more than 2000 MHPSS screenings completed, and measurable improvements in psychosocial well-being scores.
Approach
MTI will deliver an integrated MHPSS response that addresses urgent needs while building sustainable community systems for recovery.
MTI commits to strengthening mental health resilience and psychosocial well-being among 27,980 conflict-affected children and caregivers in Sudan’s White Nile refugee camps. Building on their role as the lead health and nutrition partner in 12 refugee camps nationwide, MTI will integrate targeted MHPSS services into existing primary health care and community health programming to ensure holistic, accessible, and sustainable care.
MTI’s approach combines clinical mental health services with community-based psychosocial support.
Community-Based Support Systems – MTI will establish and operate Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) in seven camps, providing safe environments where children can play, develop socio-emotional skills, and build supportive relationships. Trained Community Health Workers (CHWs) will deliver age-appropriate MHPSS interventions and refer at-risk children to specialized services. Specialized Community Psychosocial Workers (CPWs) will provide psychological first aid, peer support groups, and life-skills training for children, caregivers, and parents. MTI will conduct mass awareness campaigns including Mental Health days to create awareness of available services.
Strengthening Clinical Services – MTI will train 240 CHWs and healthcare professionals in the WHO-endorsed Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) , enabling integration of mental health care into primary services. MHPSS screening will be introduced in health facilities using validated tools to ensure early identification, triage, and treatment. Consultations will be delivered by Medical Teams-supported psychologists and mhGAP-trained clinicians, alongside maternal and child health, nutrition, and disease-prevention services.
Expertise and Partnerships With 45 years of global emergency health experience and a presence in Sudan since 2021, MTI links MHPSS with health, nutrition, cholera response, and disease surveillance. MTI will coordinate with UNHCR, the Sudanese Ministry of Health, and NGOs such as PLAN International to align activities, strengthen referral pathways, and provide multi-sectoral support for children and caregivers.
Action Plan
October – December 2025: Establishment Phase Establish 3 Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) across 7 refugee camps in White Nile Recruit and train 12 CFS volunteers and 28 specialized Community Psychosocial Workers (CPWs) Train 200 Community Health Workers in basic MHPSS interventions Conduct initial community awareness sessions on mental health and psychosocial support Implement privacy upgrades for consultation rooms in 7 health facilities
January – March 2026: Implementation Phase
Launch full CFS activities reaching 24,240 children across all camps Begin monthly life skills sessions for 3,500 parents and caregivers Establish MHPSS screening systems using WHO-validated tools across health facilities Initiate clinical mental health services by trained psychologists and doctors Implement community-based MHPSS activities (art therapy, sports, recreational games) April 2026 – June 2026: Scaling Phase Scale up focused psychosocial support groups and dialogues for youth and women Implement specialized interventions for smaller groups with specific needs Conduct mass awareness campaigns including Mental Health days Perform mid-term evaluation with beneficiary surveys and program adjustments Train medical doctors and assistants on mhGAP implementation
July – September 2026: Sustainability Phase Conduct final training for healthcare professionals to ensure sustainability Document best practices and lessons learned Perform final program evaluation to measure impact Develop sustainability plan with local partners and health authorities Complete final progress report and share outcomes with stakeholders
Background
The protracted humanitarian crisis in Sudan, driven by the civil war that erupted in April 2023 between two warring military factions, has created the largest displacement crisis in the world. As of June 2024, more than 11 million people were internally displaced, and over 20 million required health services (OCHA, 2025) . Conflict has devastated infrastructure, leaving 70–80% of health facilities in conflict-affected areas inaccessible or nonfunctional (WHO, 2024) . Over half the population—25.6 million—faces acute hunger, with 755,000 in famine-like conditions (OCHA, 2025) .
Medical Teams International (MTI) began working in Sudan in 2021 and now serves a catchment population of 1.2 million people across White Nile, Gedaref, and Khartoum States. As the lead health and nutrition partner in 12 refugee camps (60% of all camps in Sudan) , MTI delivers integrated primary health care, maternal and child health, nutrition programming, and outbreak response—including cholera prevention and treatment. In FY2024 alone, MTI provided over 800,000 primary health consultations and supported cholera response in White Nile and Gedaref States.
Within this context, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) needs—especially for children—are urgent and vastly underfunded. The 2025 Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan reports that less than 25% of required MHPSS funding has been secured (OCHA, 2025) . Children affected by armed conflict and displacement face poverty, lack of education, family separation, and exposure to violence, all of which drive psychological distress such as fear, sadness, guilt, and anger (Bashir et al., 2024) .
A 2024 MTI assessment in White Nile identified severe gaps in community and family psychosocial support systems, non-functional schools, limited integration of mental health into primary care, and a shortage of trained mental health professionals. Without targeted action, thousands of refugee children will remain without the safe spaces, skilled care, and supportive networks they need for recovery and resilience.
Progress Update
Partnership Opportunities
MTI seeks funding partners to support the $188,524 budget needed to fully implement this commitment. Technical expertise in specialized mental health interventions in conflict settings would also be utilized.,MTI offers extensive expertise in implementing MHPSS interventions in conflict settings, with proven methodologies for establishing Child Friendly Spaces and training community health workers. The organization brings specialized knowledge in integrating mental health services into primary healthcare in humanitarian contexts, particularly for refugee populations. MTI maintains strong relationships with key international organizations in Sudan, providing potential partners access to a robust coordination network. Additionally, MTI offers evidence-based training curricula for community health workers and healthcare professionals on mental health topics, which can be adapted and utilized by other organizations working in similar contexts.