The Near East Foundation’s Sudan team is excited to announce the recent handover of the Dar-es-Salaam el-Rabwa health clinic to a local nonprofit. Umm al-Moumenein (Arabic for “the mother of believers”) is a Sudanese NGO that works to promote women’s health in rural communities outside Khartoum.
NEF established the al-Rabwa clinic in 2001 with generous support from the Packard Foundation. It offers diagnostic and pharmaceutical services, pre- and post-natal care, and laboratory culture testing to over 2000 patients monthly, and conducts HIV/AIDS awareness programs that have helped approximately 14,000 people to date. All of these services will continue under the auspices of Umm al-Moumenein, which has also committed to further increasing the clinic’s impact and reach.
The demand for these basic services is enormous. Dar el Salaam el-Rabwa is located approximately 40 kilometers outside Khartoum; its inhabitants have little access to many basic necessities: potable water, electricity, education, and—before the clinic’s establishment—healthcare are all scarce or entirely unavailable. With nearly 70% of the population lacking access to adequate sanitation and an estimated infant mortality rate over 10%, el-Rabwa’s residents are in dire need of medical services.
NEF has completed numerous other recent projects in collaboration with the inhabitants of al-Rabwa, including extending the settlement’s pipe system, supporting the construction of primary schools, and providing relief aid to starving families. The Foundation’s current work in the Greater Khartoum area focuses on microcredit and small business support.
