Multi-purpose community centres enhancing service delivery and empowering communities in Sudan’s Darfur region

Fatima Ibrahim Ahmed is a 27-year-old widow and mother of three, who fled from El Fasher Town, in North Darfur State in November 2024. Struggling with grief and the weight of displacement, Fatima found support, strength, and solidarity at the Multi-purpose Community Centre (MPCC) in Tawila locality, in the same state. Through psychosocial sessions offered at the centre, she began to rebuild her life.

“I learned about the centre through one of the Center Management Committee members who explained about multiple services provided in the centre,” Fatima said. “The centre helped me with psychosocial support and provided food support for my family, in addition to the health services provided there.”

34-year-old Mawada Mohammed has a similar story. She fled from Jazirah State in June 2025 with her husband and three children and sought refuge at Otash IDP camp in South Darfur State. “When we arrived in Nyala, we went to Otash camp where a Community-Based Protection Network member guided us to the MPCC for support,” she said. “We received psychosocial support as well as utensils and mattresses from World Vision. I am grateful for the support that enabled us to survive the tough situation of displacement.”

MPCCs are safe spaces offering a range of protection services, and for other humanitarian and community-based organizations to provide other forms of support, ranging from health services to literacy classes. They play an integral role in UNHCR’s community-based protection strategy. They were established as one-stop centers where displaced individuals can access a range of essential services. With generous contribution from EU Humanitarian Aid and the Government of Italy, there are 12 functioning MPCCs across the Darfur and Kordofan regions, while two others have suspended activities due to ongoing conflict.

On average, about 4,000 individuals engage in awareness raising activities at MPCCs each month. Around 2,500 people participate in group psychosocial support sessions and about 800 mobilize for activities designed and led by communities themselves.

Since the beginning of 2025, more than 40,000 individuals have received services provided by UNHCR’s partner at the Tawila MPCC alone, while on average each MPCC receives about 2,500 individuals per month.

“We attend to around 480 patients daily. The MPCC has become a central hub that not only expands outreach but also ensures that services are delivered more efficiently and in ways that truly meet the needs of the community.” says Abuakber Ahmed, a medical assistant with ALIMA, which provides primary health and nutrition services in Tawila locality.

“Seeing the MPCCs used not only by our dedicated protection partners but also by other international and national NGOs and community groups has been proof that these spaces can enhance the coordination of multi-sectoral service provision and make it easier for displaced and hosting communities to come together, receive support and start to recover from the impacts of the conflict.” Jocelyn Knight, UNHCR Protection Officer.

As the conflict continues to disrupt lives, the MPCCs remain an essential part of UNHCR’s protection response, ensuring that even in the most difficult times and in hard-to-reach areas, affected communities can access support, rebuild trust, and find strength together.

Across Sudan, 56 MPCCs operated by UNHCR and partners are used for protection services through protection desks, psychosocial support services, capacity-building and awareness-raising sessions, and community meetings. Each centre reaches an average of 1,100 individuals every month, enabling displaced and host communities to access essential services.