BackgroundAdeela was founded in 2018 by 16 young people from regions of Sudan, as a sociocultural project focused on societal change, peace processes, social justice, and human rights.
ReachThrough its Local Action Fund, Adeela has provided small grants to around 30 grassroots peacebuilding groups led by young people and women across Khartoum, Kassala, Red Sea, Gadaref, Sennar, Blue Nile, White Nile, South Kordofan, and Darfur.
ImpactAdeela's efforts and support to grassroots peacebuilders have reduced local conflicts, improved community relations, and heightened peacebuilding awareness, particularly among youth groups.
Adeela is a youth-led organisation, which uses art and culture to support peace, societal change, social justice and human rights for communities in Sudan.
In April 2023, fighting severely escalated between Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF), igniting a an all-out war that has destroyed the lives of millions of civilians. Tens of thousands have been killed, and both the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been accused of atrocities.
As well as the direct impact of violence, Sudanese people face the largest humanitarian crisis on record, including famine and the collapse of the healthcare system.
Civil society is continuously becoming a direct and indirect target of all armed parties, they are increasingly experiencing the use of arbitrary arrest, hate speech, and passport confiscation. Hate speech is on the rise, the war has caused a severe humanitarian crisis, and civilians have regularly been killed – caught in the crossfire over battles for key cities.
Our partners and most of civil society have shifted a major part of their focus to emergency relief and humanitarian aid.
Adeela considers itself an open platform for active young people to contribute to peace in Sudan. Through its activities such as Cultural Forum, it enables activists, youth, and experts to debate, brainstorm, and have open dialogues regarding solutions to socio-political issues.
In addition, it has mobilised its media platform for knowledge sharing in order to provide valuable comprehensive, up to date, and simplified information on the fast-changing conflict context.
Following the conflict that broke out in Sudan in April 2023, Adeela’s planned activities were significantly affected. Adeela persevered, and found innovative ways to support citizens and civil society, and to resist war operating from exile in Kampala.
Adeela held collective discussions on the possibility of opposing the war and countering hate speech, racism, and opposing human rights violations in Sudan. This rich discussion identified more than 20 proposals, with six initiatives ultimately selected for rollout in each state.
Peace Direct has worked with Adeela since 2020 as part of our Local Action Fund, which provides small grants to young peacebuilders across the region. Adeela runs a version of this Fund called Masheesh.
As a hub partner, Adeela identifies, supports and delivers small grants to youth peacebuilders, enabling them to drive their own peacebuilding initiatives, with capacity building, and networking and convening of civic spaces in different regions in Sudan.
Throughout its various phases, Masheesh Adeela significantly expanded its geographical presence across Sudan, earning community trust. The organiwation successfully implemented over 500 activities and projects in regions including Khartoum, Kassala, Red Sea, Gadaref, Sennar, Blue Nile, White Nile, South Kordofan, and Darfur. These projects focused on three primary themes: peaceful coexistence and peacebuilding, peaceful political resistance, and gender equality.
Adeela also fostered the creation and growth of new initiatives and groups across these states, establishing strong partnerships that strengthened the network within Sudanese civil society. This engagement has reduced local conflicts, improved community relations, and heightened peacebuilding awareness, particularly among youth groups.
Learn more about Adeela on their website.
