150 Backpacks, 150 FuturesLooking Back at DND’s 2022 School Supplies Distribution for Orphaned Students in West Darfur
December 17–18, 2022 | West Darfur, Sudan
WEST DARFUR, SUDAN — In the final weeks of 2022, before war would change everything, 150 orphaned students in West Darfur received something simple and profound: a new school backpack, filled with notebooks, pens, and pencils — and with it, the message that they were not forgotten.
Over two days, December 17 and 18, 2022, the Darfur Network for Development (DND), in partnership with the Innovation Society for Human Development (ISHD), completed a school supplies distribution serving orphaned students across West Darfur. The project was fully funded by DND, and it remains one of the organization’s most cherished early achievements — with supplies designed to serve students for up to three years.
The Project at a Glance
Project Summary | School Supplies Distribution |
Dates | December 17–18, 2022 |
Location | West Darfur, Sudan |
Students reached | 150 orphaned students |
Supplies provided | School backpacks, notebooks, pens, and pencils |
Implementing partner | Innovation Society for Human Development (ISHD) |
Funding | Fully funded by DND |
Why This Project Mattered
Orphaned children face some of the steepest barriers to education anywhere and in West Darfur, where families and communities had already endured years of hardship, the cost of basic school supplies was often enough to keep a child out of the classroom entirely.
For these 150 students, a backpack was not just a bag. It was a signal that their education mattered, that someone had thought of them specifically, and that their community stretching all the way to Denver, Colorado was invested in their future.
The supplies were selected for durability and long-term value, with the expectation that they would continue serving students for up to three years after the distribution.
A Partnership Built on Local Trust
The project was implemented on the ground by the Innovation Society for Human Development (ISHD), a local partner organization whose team managed every aspect of the field operation — from procurement and logistics to the distribution itself. Working through a trusted local partner allowed DND to ensure that supplies reached the students who needed them most, at prices and through channels that only local knowledge could secure.
This partnership model pairing DND’s funding and oversight with the deep community roots of local implementers — has since become a cornerstone of how the organization works.
What the Students Received
Each of the 150 students received a durable school backpack along with notebooks, pens, and pencils — a complete set of the essential tools needed to participate fully in school. The supplies were chosen with longevity in mind, selected to serve students well beyond a single school year.
Volunteers and the ISHD field team managed the distribution over two days, ensuring an orderly process in which every student was received with care and every handover was documented. The project was completed under challenging economic conditions, and its success is a testament to the dedication of the local team and the generosity of DND’s supporters.
A Legacy That Endures
Looking back from today, this project carries a weight its planners could not have foreseen. Just months after the distribution, in April 2023, war broke out in Sudan, and West Darfur suffered some of the conflict’s worst violence. Many of the communities DND served in 2022 were displaced to refugee camps in eastern Chad — where DND’s work continues today.
The war also took a profound toll on those who made this project possible. Among the lives lost in the 2023 violence were members of the ISHD team including its president Mr. Abdullatif Mohamed Othman who had worked to put backpacks in the hands of orphaned children just months before. They gave their final years in service to the most vulnerable in their community, and this project stands as part of their legacy.
In Memoriam: Mr. Abdultalif Mohamed Othman, Former President of ISHD who lost his life in April 2023 violence in West Darfur
Their work did not end with them. Today, surviving members of ISHD continue the mission from eastern Chad, working alongside DND to serve the displaced communities they have always served. The commitment that carried 150 backpacks to orphaned students in December 2022 endures , carried forward by those who remain, in honor of those who were lost.
The 2022 school supplies distribution stands as a reminder of what DND set out to do from the beginning: to reach the most vulnerable children and to work hand in hand with trusted local partners. That mission did not end when the war began. It simply moved with the people it serves.
“We hope to continue conducting more projects until we cover all students who need support.”
From the project’s final report, 2022
About Darfur Network for Development
Darfur Network for Development (DND) is a Colorado-based nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Sudanese refugee communities in eastern Chad and in the United States. DND’s programs focus on education, humanitarian assistance, community development, and human rights documentation, with a commitment to dignity, inclusion, and accountability in all its work.
Contact: Darfur Network for Development | 1500 N Grant St, Denver, CO
© 2026 Darfur Network for Development. All rights reserved.
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