We can back heroic relief efforts in Sudan

We can all help war-torn Sudan by supporting the heroic relief efforts there. It’s needed even more because a major natural disaster has also struck the country.

Earlier in September a landslide devastated the remote mountain village of Tarsin in the Darfur region of Sudan. Hundreds were killed and homes were destroyed as heavy rains and flooding caused the massive landslide.

Imagine losing your home suddenly and not having any basic supplies to survive. The landslide cut off Tarsin from aid as roads were blocked. That is until a Save the Children team of 11 aid workers, traveling on donkeys, made a marathon journey to Tarsin with the first relief supplies.

It took the team over six hours to make their journey over the rocky and muddy land. To the people of Tarsin it must have seemed a miracle.

Save the Children's arrival brought hope to Tarsin that more help will be on the way and that they were not forgotten. A mobile health clinic was established by the Save the Children team. This is amazing humanitarian work that needs our support.

There are nearly 25 million people, about half of Sudan's population, living in severe hunger. Famine has been declared in parts of Sudan and people are dying of starvation.

Humanitarian agencies struggle to find funding for the relief effort. There have not been enough donations to keep pace with the emergency in Sudan. And now a landslide worsens the world's biggest humanitarian crisis.

Another heroic effort is taking place in the small town of Al Hafayer, in eastern Sudan. Children displaced by war live at a camp in this town. The children in the area gather at an abandoned hospital to get school lessons.

The children attending these lessons in Al Hafayer get take home rations from the U.N. World Food Program (WFP). This is precious food for the children and their families who have lost everything in the war.

“It's important for students to have sufficient meals, because if they're healthy, they will understand everything they're taught" says Hanaa, a volunteer teacher.

As we try to end the war in Sudan, let's support these noble relief efforts so we can help children get through this war. Imagine someday there could be a national school lunch program in Sudan that could help eliminate child hunger.

If the warring sides in Sudan's conflict would put down their guns and agree to an armistice, the focus could be on defeating the enemy of hunger instead of fighting each other.

As we encourage peace we must fund humanitarian aid for Sudan. Very sadly, there has been a major reduction in humanitarian funding at a time when Sudan and other war-torn countries are in desperate need.

The WFP, Save the Children and other charities on the ground in Sudan need our support to feed the hungry. You can donate to relief efforts in Sudan and encourage your elected officials to pay attention to this crisis.

Urge your elected officials to increase funding for the Food for Peace program that can feed the hungry in Sudan. In being an advocate, you can help save lives and build peace in Sudan.

William Lambers is an author who partnered with the U.N. World Food Program on the book Ending World Hunger