Sudan is one of the world's poorest countries. Seventy per cent of the north of the country and 90% of the south live on less than $1 a day.

To raise awareness of the situation and to raise money, we will be doing a sponsored walk on 19^th October from Westfield Stratford to Westfield Shepherd’s Bush, and then back again!

The money raised goes towards food aid, Eid gifts and orphan sponsorship projects in East Sudan Eritrean refugee camps. Eastern Sudan hosts 112,283 Eritrean refugees- 83,499 of whom live in camps and 28,784 in urban situations. The first refugees arrived in 1968 fleeing Eritrea’s war of independence with Ethiopia. Over the course of the subsequent thirty-year conflict, successive waves of people fleeing repression, insecurity, famine and drought crossed the border into Eastern Sudan. Although significant numbers of Eritrean refugees returned home after a peace treaty was signed in 2000, ongoing deterioration in the political and human rights situation e.g. indefinite military conscription, as well as drought and poor economic opportunities in Eritrea has caused some 1,800 people to cross into Sudan every month.

With dreams of a better life in Sudan, thousands wake up to the realities of the grim camp conditions, lacking food security or proper healthcare, and sharing scarce resources with Sudanese nationals. On arrival at the reception centre at Shagarab camp in Kassala state, near the Eritrean border, they are not immediately provided with proper shelter. Only when their refugee status is confirmed, which can take four to six weeks, are they able to move into tents or huts, which they often have to build themselves.

We would REALLY appreciate it if people would donate anything they possibly can. It is heartbreaking to see innocent people have to suffer due to circumstances they have nothing to do with, and are not in control of. It’s not fair that these people are paying the price for other’s inhumanity, and while we can’t do something to directly resolve the situation, we’d like to do anything we possibly can to help the victims.

If you are thinking of donating, please giftaid it if you can, that way all the money will be given to the charity, if this isn't the case, just message us so you can give the money directly to us :)

ALSO, to anyone who knows me (Mayisha) personally, you may know that the day of this walk is my birthday and I’m basically asking anyone who usually would’ve given me a present to instead use the money to sponsor me. I have everything I need: family, friends, food on my plate etc, I don’t need much else so no presents this year please!

All the money will be donated to Ummah Welfare Trust, to their project: Most Needy, and specifically to Sudan, as 100% of donations given to them are given to the cause! We have a confirmation email available for proof and that.

Thank you and please spread the word about our fundraising as well as the plight in Sudan, mainstream media don’t mention it as much, so PLEASE just tweet, share, anything!

We’re all human. These people didn’t choose to be in poverty, the way we didn’t choose to have the comforted lives many of us have. It could very well have turned out that we were living in a country in which hunger and death is the norm. Therefore, I kind of feel that it's our duty to use the opportunities and facilities we've been blessed with to do as much as we can for those who haven't been as lucky.

Don't let our physical barriers, nor our individual differences dictate who we care for. We're all human.

Mayisha and Nazira

xxxxx

p.s. if you'd like to find out more about the situation in East Sudan and the ongoing plight of the Eritrean refugees, the following links will provide more insight.

http://awate.com/aljazeera-the-tragedy-of-the-eritrean-refugees-in-sudan/

http://www.irinnews.org/report/87300/eritrea-sudan-a-forgotten-refugee-problem

http://www.resettlement.eu/page/eritrean-refugees-eastern-sudan

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/11/eritreans-enslaved-traffickers-sudan-egypt-torture-camps?CMP=twt_gu

http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.573690