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Head of Al Nao Hospital in Sudan recognized for sustaining critical medical care amid civil war
and saving hundreds of lives
NEW YORK, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative announced Thursday evening that Dr. Jamal Eltaeb has been named the 2025 Aurora Prize Laureate. The $1 million Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity honors individuals who risk their lives to save others. This year, Aurora recognizes Dr. Eltaeb’s extraordinary courage and steadfast dedication to providing care for those trapped in conflict.
Dr. Jamal Eltaeb. Photo by Luke Dray
Amid Sudan’s devastating civil war and the near-total collapse of the country’s health system, Dr. Eltaeb has kept Al Nao Hospital in Omdurman operating as one of the last functioning referral hospitals in greater Khartoum—a testament to his resilience and leadership under fire.
“Growing up, I saw how fragile life can be and how much difference one person’s care and knowledge can make. I wanted to be a doctor because I wanted to serve people in their most vulnerable moments,” Dr. Eltaeb said. “The Aurora Prize encourages doctors, teachers, humanitarians, and ordinary people everywhere to keep going, knowing that their effort matters. It is a reminder that one person’s courage can inspire change and that compassion has the power to heal. Even the smallest act of kindness can bring hope.”
“At a time when indifference is spreading and compassion under siege, Dr. Eltaeb stands as living proof that humanity is not lost,” said Noubar Afeyan, Co-Founder and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and Founder and CEO of Flagship Pioneering. “In a world where the ‘inhumanitarians’ too often dominate the headlines, Dr. Eltaeb reminds us that the humanitarian spirit endures—and that each of us has a responsibility to keep it alive.”
The 2025 Laureate was announced at the Aurora Prize Ceremony held on Ellis Island, a symbol of refuge and renewal, marking ten years of Aurora’s global effort to highlight grassroots humanitarians.
Dr. Eltaeb was selected through a process that considered more than 800 nominations. As the 2025 Aurora Prize Laureate, he will receive a $1 million award to expand his work and also support other local leaders and grassroots organizations assisting communities in need.
“In the face of unimaginable danger and deprivation, Dr. Eltaeb has shown what true humanitarian leadership looks like,” said Lord Ara Darzi, Chair of the Aurora Prize Selection Committee and Co-Director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London. “Aurora is honored to support his mission and to spotlight the resilience of those enduring conflict. Dr. Eltaeb’s selflessness reminds us that even amid war, humanity can prevail.”
Since the conflict escalated in Sudan in April 2023, Dr. Eltaeb has navigated repeated bombardments, collapsing infrastructure, and the acute shortages of electricity and medical supplies, including anesthesia, ensuring that hundreds of wounded, displaced and critically ill patients continue to receive care. Under his leadership, Al Nao Hospital has become a lifeline for the community, embodying resilience, solidarity, and unwavering dedication to saving lives under the most challenging conditions.
“Dr. Eltaeb embodies the principle of refusing indifference,” said Chelsea Clinton, Aurora Prize Selection Committee member and Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation and Clinton Health Access Initiative. “His commitment to humanity lies not only in saving lives but in sustaining a community’s critical thread of dignity and care during one of Sudan’s most devastating conflicts.”
The Ceremony also recognized outstanding 2025 Aurora Humanitarians, Sally Becker, Dr. Zouhair Lahna, and Dr. Jill Seaman, and honored philanthropists who exemplify the Aurora’s core value of ‘Gratitude in Action:’ Henrietta H. Fore, Graça Machel, Michael Milken, and David Rubenstein.
Celebrating a decade of impact in 2025, the Aurora Prize of Awakening Humanity is a flagship program of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, founded on behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude to their saviors. Aurora amplifies the voices of those on the front lines of humanity’s crises and provides the resources to help them scale their impact through Gratitude in Action. Rooted in the belief that there is a human in every humanitarian and a humanitarian in every human, Aurora inspires people worldwide to act with courage and kindness.
About the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative
The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative catalyzes lifesaving work by celebrating and supporting exceptional humanitarians around the world. Aurora was founded on behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude to their saviors. Over the past decade, the organization has built a global network and supported more than 3.5 million people affected by humanitarian crises. By funding humanitarians around the world who continue the cycle of giving, this work contributes to proliferating humanitarianism into the future. For more information, please visit www.AuroraHumanitarian.org.
2025 Aurora Prize Ceremony on Ellis Island, New York, November 6, 2025 © Victor Boyko/Getty Images for Aurora
