The Sudan Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs) were considered a front-runner for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, although they didn't end up winning. It's the second year in a row that they've been nominated. And the group received both the Rafto Prize and a Right Livelihood Award (sometimes referred to as the "Alternative Nobel").
When they gave their award, the team at Right Livelihood wrote, "Beyond saving lives, ERRs nurture a culture of compassion and solidarity that lays the foundation for Sudan's future civil society and democratic renewal."
(The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to María Corina Machado for "her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela.")
Sudan has been ravaged by a civil war that began in April 2023. The Sudan ERRs are a network of thousands of volunteers within the country who have responded by providing food, shelter, medical and psychological support, and education to the Sudanese affected by the war. The volunteers include health workers, teachers, farmers and engineers. Local organizers within needy communities help coordinate the logistics of getting the assistance where it needs to go. The "rooms" refer to the online group chats where the program was initially formulated.
The group receives its funding from a variety of sources, including private donors large and small, the British and Dutch governments, the Sudan Humanitarian Fund, international NGO's, and private foundations.
During this season of humanitarian prizes, NPR reached out to Amasi, a student at National Ribat University and a volunteer with the Sudan ERRs. The group requested we not use her full name because its members have been targeted by belligerents from both sides of the war. Amasi spoke about her work with the relief organization and why it's of vital importance to a beleaguered nation.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
You're one of more than 12 million people in Sudan who have been displaced by the war. With all the trauma that entails, what motivated you to become involved with the Sudan Emergency Response Rooms?
I learned about them through a WhatsApp group affiliated with ERR. At that time, I had exams and I was so busy. But I came to understand that they were doing great things for the people affected by the war. They were finding those who were in need and giving them food and even clean water to drink. They want every single person to be safe, healthy and educated. These are basic rights that every human being must have.
So I said, "Okay, I will be with you."
These are our own people who are in need. They are our sisters, they are our brothers and mothers and fathers and uncles. Even as I'm trying to eat or drink something in a place of safety, I remember these other people in need. That's hard so you will do your best to save them from that feeling.
Once you got involved, how do you deliver these items to people in need?
Sometimes the roads are destroyed and the people of war might be where we want to send things.
My job is to gather information about the families in a particular area and determine the best way to provide assistance, whether that be through cooked meals, supplies, or cash. If we send money, people can then buy their own food and clean water, and share it with others. Or they cook the food in one place and share it. That's called takkeyya. Families bring bowls and plates and they eat the food at these communal kitchens.
Crucially, we follow up to confirm that the support has reached those who truly need it.
These communities are worried about the women, children, elderly and those who are sick — and who can't stay without food or water for multiple days. So they feel like our help is life saving.
And I am happy too. It motivates me to give them more and more.
This effort connects to a deep Sudanese value. Can you explain what that is?
Yes, the term is nafeer, which comes from Arabic, and it means collective work or action. It goes way back.
Let's say that you need to build your house. Then all the neighbors will come and help you as volunteers — out of kindness and love. They might not even be your relatives! Schools have even been built like this.
Since the war began, we've seen nafeer in the hospitals and the universities with people helping each other. They clean the roads and help repair the areas that have been damaged.
So it's the kindness of the Sudanese and their love of their country, their neighbors, their society.
This is nafeer, and it is at the core of the work of the Sudan Emergency Response Rooms.
This work must have its challenges?
Yes, it isn't easy at all.
The hardest thing is when you lose connection with the local organizers of the ERR network. That happens due to an unreliable phone and internet network. Without reliable contact, it's hard to know what's happening on the ground and to get the information we need. Bad communication can also get in the way of us helping them solve problems like how to find food and water or how to locate a good place to do the communal cooking.
Then you have the situation where our people are going to the market to buy things. And maybe they find a soldier there asking, "Who are you? Where are you from? What are you doing?"
Some folks just can't understand that you are a peaceful volunteer trying to help those who are suffering from the war.
What moments of connection have you had through your involvement?
The joyful moment is when you connect with the local organizer and they say that this week has been a success. We did our job and there haven't been any problems. The help has reached the people there. And you feel a kind of peace and happiness … even as you look to what's next.
That's the most enjoyable feeling, actually.
The Sudan Emergency Response Rooms were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize this year and last year. How does that make you feel?
It's exciting because it lets people know about the work that we are trying to do. Sudan is such a big place and the need is great. Raising awareness will motivate others to volunteer to help all those who are suffering. That way we can work toward peace where everyone can live their simple, happy and healthy lives.
What lies ahead for your country, do you think?
We hope this war will stop. If it does, we want to do our best to improve our country from all this damage. We want to bring back and improve our health care, schools and universities. We want to make sure all the people — from the children to the elders — are aware of their right to live in peace.
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