SUDAN – Sudan’s grassroots “Emergency Rooms” have been honored with their second major international prize in just two weeks, underscoring global recognition of the volunteers who have kept communities alive amid the country’s devastating war.
On Wednesday, October 1, 2025, Sweden’s Right Livelihood Foundation announced it had awarded its prestigious prize, often referred to as the “Alternative Nobel Prize”, to the Sudanese Emergency Rooms. The honor comes shortly after the network received Norway’s renowned Rafto Prize in mid-September for its extraordinary efforts to provide food, medicine, and education during Sudan’s civil war.
The Right Livelihood Foundation praised the Emergency Rooms for developing “a unique model of humanitarian work” based almost entirely on Sudanese donations and community-driven initiatives. The foundation noted that while state institutions have collapsed and armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has raged for two and half years, these volunteer-run networks have sustained critical lifelines for millions.
According to the foundation, nearly 10,000 Sudanese volunteers are now operating under the Emergency Rooms umbrella. They run more than 730 humanitarian centers across the country, delivering food, medicine, and education, and providing emergency interventions in some of the most dangerous areas of the war. Their work has continued despite grave risks, with more than 130 volunteers losing their lives since the conflict erupted in April 2023.
The foundation said that the Emergency Rooms represents solidarity in its purest form and they empower communities to define their own priorities, relying on the contribution of Sudanese at home and abroad rather than being limited by the narrow frameworks set by traditional donors.
For many Sudanese, the Emergency Rooms have become not only a humanitarian safety net but also a symbol of resilience and collective action.
Speaking in a recorded message shared by the foundation, Khartoum-based volunteer Doaa Tarek described how the network began as a grassroots response to the crisis. “The Emergency Rooms started as an idea of solidarity among Sudanese to face the humanitarian, security, social, and economic impact of the war,” she said.
Over time, the network has expanded beyond relief aid. Tarek explained that some hubs are now helping women find sustainable livelihoods, including small-scale projects to support daily income. This evolution reflects both the worsening humanitarian conditions and the volunteers’ determination to provide long-term solutions in addition to immediate relief.
Observers note that the Emergency Rooms stand out from many humanitarian operations because of their independence from political factions and reliance on local contributions. While international agencies have struggled with limited access and bureaucratic obstacles, the Sudanese networks have been able to reach besieged neighborhoods and remote communities often cut off from aid.
The war in Sudan, which erupted in April 2023, has left millions displaced and devastated nearly every sector of society. With the state collapsing under the weight of armed groups, community-led efforts like the Emergency Rooms have filled the gap, risking lives to prevent starvation, disease, and total societal breakdown.
by awarding the 2025 Right Livelihood Prize, the Swedish foundation not only highlighted the extraordinary courage of Sudanese volunteers but also shone a spotlight on one of the few hopeful narratives to emerge from the brutal conflict.
For the Emergency Rooms, the back-to-back honors from two respected European institutions represent validation of their work, and a reminder of the heavy price their members continue to pay. The foundation noted that around 130 volunteers have scarified their lives in this mission, and their legacy lives on in the survival of countless others.
