Hello to all of our Cairdeas supporters! As you may have seen, our 2025 Cairdeas Gathering is taking place soon, on November 29^th from 3pm-5pm. It will be a hybrid meeting, so you can join us in person, at Kirkintilloch Baptist Church, or online by registering here.

In the run up to the Gathering, we wanted to share some ways that supporters can get involved and support some of the projects which will be discussed during this time. The past few years have been increasingly tough for charities and NGOs, as costs rise, donations fall and aid funding is drastically cut. Despite these challenges, we have continued to work to support our partners around the world as they deliver vital, compassionate care to patients and families, at times in the face of instability, targeted violence and displacement.

“Then we had the war. Without any warning, suddenly. Some people were trapped, some people were outside their homes and because of the war they stayed outside their homes for weeks.” Dr Nahla Gafer

One of the projects we support is the Sunshine in War project, working in Sudan to support patients and families displaced by the awful violence which has gripped the country during recent years. Targeted attacks on hospitals, skyrocketing costs of medical treatment and the difficulty and danger of travelling have all contributed to a difficult financial situation for the team. In the face of these enormous challenges, they have found innovative ways to continue caring for their patients, moving consultations online and visiting patients in spite of the danger to their safety.

“With the help of Cairdeas we managed to have an office in a city in the North…the team is working from the office there and connecting with other members and patients.” Dr Nahla Gafer

Cairdeas was recently able to facilitate a donation of around £4000 to the Sunshine in War team by PallCHASE, a close partner who focus on palliative care in areas of humanitarian crisis. Through this, the team have been able to continue using their office for administrative work, and their ledgers in Damar and Khartoum, providing a facility for patients to receive the physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual care they so desperately need. We are delighted that the team received this money, but with high costs and so many patients in need of care, we know that they need more.

“With these organisations supporting the team…we reached more than 800 of our patients and we are receiving new cases. They [the team] became known in the new places they re-located to.” Dr Nahla Gafer

We want to increase the support we give to the Sunshine in War team, and we can only do that through donations from our supporters. If you are able, we would like to ask that you consider setting up a regular donation, to allow us to support this amazing team doing such critical work for some of the world’s most vulnerable people.

If you are already a regular donor, we thank you for your support, and ask if you would consider increasing your donation amount, to allow us to increase the support we can give to Sunshine in War, during a time when the violence in Sudan is at a frightening level, and people with life-limiting illnesses are extremely vulnerable.

How your support makes a difference:

• £10 funds 5 patients’ virtual care for a month
• £20 funds 4 in-person patient visits by the team

How to Give:

• Click here to go to our donations page – choose Sunshine in War in the dropdown menu

Thank you, from all the team at Cairdeas.