Students at the International Institute of Social Studies in The Hague organized this fundraiser to raise money for funds for Red Card, a youth-led Sudanese organization working on SRHR and gender violence.
The Sudani Talk and Open Mic Fundraiser for the Red Card Organization, co-organized by the ISS Queer Committee, Social Action Committee and Queer Leiden University, created a much-needed space for Sudanese Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) advocates to share their experiences and insights.
The event aimed to raise funds for Red Card, a youth-led Sudanese organization working on SRHR and gender violence, while also opening a supportive environment for students and community members to listen, learn and stand in solidarity.
The 'forgotten' Sudanese conflict
A central theme of the evening was the selective international attention to global conflicts. Speakers highlighted how western media, international NGOs and academic institutions often decide – based on racialized and gendered power dynamics – which conflicts receive visibility, urgency and support.
Sudan represents one of the conflicts that is currently sidelined, despite experiencing the most severe humanitarian and gender-based crises today. Therefore, this event became particularly significant because it countered this silence, allowing Sudanese voices to share their reality directly and without mediation.
SRHR in Sudan
Speakers described how SRHR in Sudan was already marginalized long before the war, constrained by stigma, patriarchal norms and Sharia-influenced restrictions. Access to contraception, HIV and STDs testing, meaningful reproductive healthcare and safe abortion services was limited and heavily stigmatized. These challenges intensified dramatically after the outbreak of war.
Today, 70-80% of health facilities are out of service, with many targeted or taken over by armed groups such as the RSF. Rates of sexual and gender-based violence (S/GBV) have tripled, and both warring parties weaponize S/GBV as a strategy of terror.
As a result, the number of unwanted pregnancies and children born from sexual violence has increased, raising deep concerns about long-term trauma and the future of Sudanese society.
On the ground, activists face enormous obstacles. Many organizations are unable to operate because of movement restrictions, insecurity and lack of funding. Bringing essential medications – such as pills for medical abortion – into the country is extremely difficult, and even when they arrive, they are often confiscated by armed groups.
Formal SRHR services are almost absent, leaving community-based networks, mostly women acting individually, to provide the little care they can.
The speakers emphasized that S/GBV against men and boys is also a reality, though even more hidden by shame and stigma. Meanwhile, shortages of dignity kits, reusable pads and basic menstrual supplies leave women and girls vulnerable, especially because many fled their homes with nothing. Despite this, when activists attempt to raise SRHR issues, they are often told that 'people are hungry and dying' – reflecting how women’s (and bodies with womb) health is pushed aside, even in humanitarian discourse.
Sharing personal experiences
Four Sudani SRHR Advocates joined Saja Nurien from ISS in a dialogue on their personal experiences navigating this work during the war. They described the emotional and logistical difficulties of assisting survivors with almost no institutional support.
Their testimony also illuminated the resilience of Sudanese activists who continue to organize despite danger, isolation and the withdrawal of many humanitarian actors. Indeed, several speakers noted that international organizations largely abandoned Sudan when the war escalated, leaving an immense burden on local civil society. This selective withdrawal is mirrored by the selective focus in western universities and media, which often overlook Sudan’s crisis entirely.
Creating a space for reflection, solidarity and truth-telling
The event also introduced participants to Red Card, a young, youth-led organization that addresses SRHR issues that larger international NGOs typically avoid. Red Card provides education, community support and direct assistance wherever possible, filling gaps left by global actors who prioritize less politically sensitive issues.
Ultimately, the event served not only as a fundraiser but also as a space for reflection, solidarity and truth-telling. It challenged participants to reconsider how global power structures shape which lives and crises are seen as grieveable or urgent.
As one speaker, Amaros, expressed: 'We are trying to understand what is happening to us – and trying to make the internationals understand what is happening to us.'
Through these conversations, the event acknowledged Sudanese resilience and reminded attendees of the importance of elevating marginalized voices, especially in times of war and silence.