Relief in Sudan's West Darfur State

Kubri School, Krindig IDP Camp 1: School children in their class. Save the Children / Jenny Mathews

Listen to a National Public Radio interview on Dec. 3, 2008 with Save the Children Darfur Director Jerry Farrell

Prior to the recent cessation of work in northern Sudan, Save the Children provided support to some 500,000 displaced children and families in West Darfur State each month. Our donor-driven programs included providing food and clean water, health care and emergency obstetrical care for women, protection for children and women, education, and livelihoods training in camps and neighboring communities throughout West Darfur.

The suspension of Save the Children’s operations in northern Sudan has very worrying implications for the more than 1 million children and adults the agency was supporting, especially displaced and conflict-affected children and women in the West Darfur region. Our first concern remains the health and well-being of children and families who depend on us and other agencies for help. Their difficult daily situation will become increasingly dire if aid agencies are not permitted to continue operations.

FIELD UPDATE AS OF FEBRUARY 2008

Zeinab comes three times a day to draw water from the tap built by Save the Children. Credit: Save the Children, Jennifer Mathews

Hunger Relief

Save the Children distributed 3,583 tons of food to 428,258 children and adults in 44 locations.
Shelters in Habila, Mornei and Geneina were rehabilitated.
We trained 80 members of local Food Relief Committees in 18 locations in our operations.
Meetings were held with community members to identify possible security measures to ensure the security of staff and food stocks.

Water and Sanitation

In June, 201,500 children and adults had access to clean water through Save the Children's infrastructure of 448 taps and 177 hand pumps.
We helped repair 16 hand pumps, restoring some 8,000 peoples' access to water.
At 15 of our child centers in camps, over 3,000 children were taught lessons on basic hygiene and sanitation.
Hygiene and environmental promotion activities reached 80,650 people in June.

Nutrition

The number of children and pregnant and lactating women who benefit from our Outpatient Therapeutic Program and Supplementary Feeding Program increased in June. A total of 714 children and women were enrolled – 174 in the outpatient program and 540 in the supplemental program.
During nutritional screenings of 2,183 children under age 5 in June, staff found 359 who were malnourished and referred them to our programs.

Primary Health

Save the Children facilities treated 13,201 outpatients in June, nearly half of whom were children under age 5.
Vaccinations were administered to 4,322 people.
We held trainings in "cold chain" methods for safeguarding vaccines which were attended by our staff and members of the Ministry of Health and other agencies.
There were 344 babies born at our reproductive health facilities in June; just over 4,000 women also made antenatal and post-natal visits.

Protection for Children

Daily attendance at our children's centers in 10 West Darfur camps averaged 7,580 girls and boys.
Our 39th children's center was completed in the Um Shalaya camp.
During June, staff at the centers referred 259 children to health centers for treatment and 15 malnourished children were referred to our therapeutic feeding programs.
We trained 189 center workers in children's rights, child development, first aid, the support of very vulnerable children and prevention and responses to child abuse.
Center workers also monitored the status of 520 girls and boys whom we considered to be extremely vulnerable; 342 received our assistance and material support.

Children sit together in Al Kerenick camp in West Darfur.

Protection for Women

Save the Children continues to call attention to gender-based violence and assist women victims. During June, we assisted 66 women who had suffered gender-based violence. We also held 12 workshops or awareness sessions on the subject that reached some 570 girls and women.
At our women's centers, some 854 women and older girls attended literacy activity; training in tailoring, food preparation, soap making and crafts also attracted over 1,900 women.
All women's centers were rehabilitated in preparation for the rainy season.

Education

The new school year began on June 22; registration of children at Save the Children-supported schools is ongoing.
The construction of three classrooms and a teacher's office at the Azernie Basic School for Girls was completed. Other school construction projects are in progress in Um Shalaya, Mornei, Krinding and Beida.
We re-roofed 31 semi-permanent classrooms in June.
Our focus on community involvement and ownership resulted in adults using local materials to build two classrooms and a teacher’s office at the Um Dowein School for Boys.

Livelihoods

Save the Children organized trainings in agriculture, leadership and organization for 286 farmers in Mornei.
44 women's groups benefited from income-generating activities.
Six youth groups received support so that they could start small income-generating activities.
349 youth attended skill development training in June in masonry, carpentry, machine maintenance, mat and wool making and food processing.

Camp Management and Coordination

In Fur Baranga, Habila, Krenik and Krinding 1, monthly meetings with community members, community leaders and representatives from state ministries and nongovernmental organizations all focused on security. In Fur Baranga, many displaced people reportedly expressed a willingness to return to their farms to cultivate during the rainy season, but cannot because of the insecurity. In that camp, Save the Children and the World Health Organization also met in June to prepare for any disease outbreaks during the rainy season. In Habila, Krenik and Krinding 1, we also continued to meet with community leaders to identify and respond to the urgent needs of extremely vulnerable children, households headed by women and elderly individuals.