In May 2010, Caritas Sudan, staff from all the dioceses and representatives of Catholic agencies working in Sudan met to consider the future.With a referendum on the future of southern Sudan planned for 9 January 2011, all the predictions were that conflict of one form or another was very likely. The question the meeting addressed then was “how best can the Church in Sudan and its partners prepare for the future?”

An Emergency Appeal was launched to make the preparations that had been agreed. Providing a combination of capacity building, resources and relief materials, Caritas members twinned with individual dioceses to improve their ability to meet their relief and development needs. Simultaneously a Caritas Internationalis Coordination Unit was established with Caritas Sudan to coordinate the work throughout the country.

The referendum went smoothly, so the preparation will provide a solid foundation for Caritas programmes going forward.