Climate Action Sudan Project #51573

Healing the Desert: Tree Nursery in Darfur Village

by Kids for Kids

Project Report | Oct 23, 2026
When the water fails, we persevere

By Davina Patel | Chief Operating Officer

Water Shortages lead to large queues at handpumps

Thank you, as always, for supporting our Healing the Desert: Tree Nursery in Darfur Village project. Your support makes it possible for communities to plan for a future even in the hardest of seasons, and this has been one of the hardest.

This month I received a message from Abdullah, one of our village coordinators. I want to share it with you because it shows both how difficult the situation is and why we cannot give up:

“The seedlings failed due to the lack of water, and even the donkeys became weak and could not fetch water from the pumps. Even our drinking water became very difficult and our economic conditions are in danger.”

Darfur is on the front line of climate change. The effects of El Niño have brought drought, and with it the loss of crops, weakened animals and a daily struggle for clean drinking water. This is exactly why trees are so essential here. Trees protect the soil, provide shade, fodder and fruit, and help hold back the advance of the desert. But establishing them is incredibly hard when there is so little water to keep young seedlings alive.

Abdullah had done everything right. Just a month earlier, he completed an online training course in planting seedlings, determined to give his trees the best possible start. Without water, even his hard work and new skills could not save them.

Yet his message did not end in despair. He made us a promise:

“If the pumps are maintained, we will plant seedlings in a better way than in the past, I promise you, God willing.”

We believe him, and we are determined to help him keep that promise. Our priority now is repairing and maintaining the village water pumps, so that families have safe drinking water again and seedlings have a real chance to take root. £1,500/ $2,100 can repair a hand pump.

Setbacks like this are painful, but they are part of building resilience in a changing climate. Every tree that survives is a step towards a greener, more secure future for the children of Darfur, and we must persevere.

Thank you for persevering with us. Your generosity means that when Abdullah plants again, he will not be planting alone.

With heartfelt thanks,

Davina
Kids for Kids

Handpump Repairs are Essential for Trees to Grow

More seedlings will be planted as soon as possible

Links:

Handpump Repairs Transform Lives

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Jun 26, 2026
Two Weeks to Plant the Um Ga'al Tree Nursery

By Sage Lancaster | Fundraising and Outreach Coordinator

Planting Seeds Helps Future Generations

Planting is underway of Fruit Trees, Moringa, Neem, Acacia Senegal and more but we must plant 2,500 more seedlings to reach our goal. Can you help us complete the first round of planting in our Um Ga'al Tree Nursery in the next Two Weeks? Every single tree helps families for years to come. Support our Microproject now: Community Tree Nursery for Darfur Village.

In Darfur, families are at the forefront of climate change, trying to survive off the land in a climate that offers very little. Months of drought followed by flash floods plague communities who rely heavily on subsistence farming to live. The ongoing conflict in Sudan has intensified the resource scarcity. While we provide urgent aid to families in Sudan, we must also think to the future. Our sustainable projects transform lives long-term.

This Microproject is dedicated solely to completing our Community Tree Nursery. 15 species of trees will be planted in Um Ga'al Village. A donation of just $14 (£10) plants five seedlings.

Seedlings will be planted around the village of Um Ga'al, our furthest north villages in Darfur, and in nearby Kids for Kids villages. Trees transform the desert, provide shade, fruit, cooler temperatures, increased rainfall if enough are planted, and byproducts that can be sold, used as pesticides, and even purify water. Planting changes the climate, creating microclimates that stabilise moisture in the soil, reduce desertification, and make growing crops possible again. When trees grow big enough, vegetables can grow in the shade of a young canopy, providing food in a community where parents wake up every day wondering where the next meal for their children will come from.

The impact of trees compounds over decades. By planting a tree today you will transform lives for generations to come.

If you would like to stay up to date with our wider news, please join our community whom we share updates about our many projects including emergency aid, water, healthcare and education.

We are already planting seedlings in Um Ga'al

$14 plants 5 more seedlings - please help!

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Mar 2, 2026
Moringa seeds - and more - planted in Darfur tree nursery

By Sage Lancaster | Fundraising and Outreach Coordinator

Seedlings in the Um Ga'al Tree Nursery

Thanks to the generosity of friends like you, the new tree nursery in Um Ga'al Village, Darfur continues to grow! What was once bare ground is now filled with life: rows of seedlings, desert trees, and carefully stored seeds ready for planting.

For the first time, Moringa trees have been introduced to the village. These remarkable trees were previously unknown in Um Ga'al, but today Moringa seedlings are growing strong. Moringa is often called a 'miracle tree' because every part of it has benefits. Its leaves have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and are rich in protein and vitamins that strengthen malnourished children. Its seeds can help purify drinking water, reducing the risk of water-borne diseases. This is vital in a region where clean water is scarce, and cases of cholera and diphtheria are on the rise. The trees also provide shade, improve soil fertility, and protect the land from desertification, which is a real threat across Darfur.

Other tree seedling varieties including acacia, sidr, heglig, neem, and baobab are being cared for in the nursery too and beneficiary families have been provided with some seedlings to care for themselves. These have been planted close to their homes, and those who nurture them successfully are encouraged and supported to care for more. The community is working together to turn the desert green again!

All seedlings are closely cared for until they are strong enough to be replanted in the community forest when the rainy season begins in June or July. The village committee and elders have already set aside two acres of land for the community forest when the time comes.

The simple act of donating a tree is already beginning to change lives. We are so grateful for your support that has made it possible to acquire so many beneficial tree varieties for the village of Um Ga'al. As the conditions remain dire across Sudan in the third year of conflict, Kids for Kids continues to do everything we can to provide Emergency Aid - food, soap, medicine, blankets, mosquito nets, and more. But it is with enormous thanks to our incredible volunteers in our 110 villages in Darfur that our sustainable projects continue to thrive.

Please tell your friends how they can feed children today and help communities build a greener future for themselves.

Women thrilled to receive trees to plant at home

We continue to provide urgent food, soap and more

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