TATHIR Project: empowering local frontline aid workers in Sudan
In Sudan, more than 8.8 million people have been displaced by the escalation of protracted conflict since April 2023. Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, has described the context as a “crisis of epic proportions; and wholly man-made”. Half of Sudan’s population – 25 million people – need lifesaving assistance.
Aid workers from local and national NGOs in Sudan are at the forefront of the response. Community-led groups have sprung up to fill the gap left by the international aid system, without the support they need in such a volatile context. HAD is responding to the conflict by partnering with RedR and the H2H Network to support these local responders with organisational capacity strengthening, coaching, and training on the topics needed most.
What will the project involve?
Following a comprehensive Organisational Capacity Assessment, HAD will collaborate with 20 local and national NGOs in Sudan to develop tailored capacity development plans for each NGO. Training material will then be developed and adapted accordingly, before inviting NGO staff to a series of 6 face-to-face training. HAD will then provide follow-up coaching and mentoring support on each of the training topics to address any specific challenges, reinforce the learning acquired, and support each NGO in applying the knowledge and skills gained to the ongoing crisis response in Sudan.
Alongside this in-depth, targeted support, RedR will conduct and publish a Learning Needs Assessment to understand the learning needs of humanitarian responders in Sudan more broadly. RedR will use the findings to design new learning products, adapting seven online bite-sized facilitated training modules in prioritised areas to train more than 300 humanitarian responders. Following this, RedR will deliver a contextualised Training of Trainers (ToT), with participants selected primarily from organisations benefiting from HAD’s institutional development programme. The ToT will create a multiplier effect, by providing the skills and knowledge needed for responders to conduct training within their respective organisations and elsewhere.
What does the name TATHIR mean?
The project name, TATHIR, is an acronym for Transforming Aid: Training for Humanitarian Impact and Response in Sudan. Tathir means impact in Arabic, which is what we aim to achieve through this project. Through local language, supporting local organisations, and equipping local responders, we can create the greatest impact to support the people in Sudan affected by this devastating crisis.
We’re working to understand and address learning needs, remove roadblocks, and empower individuals to provide the best possible support to people affected by the conflict in Sudan. In this protracted and complex crisis, by working at both an organisational and individual level, and investing in long term knowledge-sharing, we expect to create a catalysing effect to support locally-led response in Sudan.
Image credit: Islamic Relief Sudan
