Sudan Case Study – Group Cash Transfers

Following the eruption of the conflict between warring parties in Sudan, sustained
fighting and insecurity in Omdurman, Khartoum disrupted supply chains, banking, and humanitarian operations, leaving formal actors unable to deliver assistance. Community-led groups, rooted in Nafeer traditions, emerged as the first and often only responders, mobilizing local networks to provide food, health support, and other lifesaving services.

Between January 2024 and February 2025, Save the Children Sudan piloted Group Cash Transfers (GCT) to channel flexible funding directly to 11 of these groups, reducing administrative burden and strengthening collective accountability. Coupled with capacity-strengthening, GCTs enabled groups to stabilize and expand services, strengthen youth and women’s leadership, and catalyse broader community-driven initiatives. The pilot reached 1,927 households (~14,838 individuals) with food assistance and 4,346
with health support, demonstrating that locally led cash programming can rapidly deliver assistance in high-risk, hard-to-reach contexts.