Humanitarian Action in Darfur Weekly Bulletin No. 24

Key overall developments

In June, the World Food Programme (WFP) reached 3.3 million people in Darfur with 28,000 metric tons (MT) of food, a 22% increase in beneficiaries reached compared to May 2008. This increase accounts for the seasonal food support to vulnerable rural residents during the hunger gap/pre-harvest period. Meanwhile, insecurity prevented access to some 31,000 people, majority were in South Darfur.

Needs and response by sector

EDUCATION

North Darfur

– Schools reopened in North Darfur during the month of June and UNICEF has been focusing on completing the construction of classrooms and supplying educational resources to schools. The El Fasher Rural Development Network — supported by UNICEF — completed the construction of eight (8) permanent classrooms in El Taweisha and El Layet communities. Quality education for girls and community mobilization was also highlighted through the UNICEF supported Ministry of Education (MoE) — girls education section — training of focal persons for girls’ education – with participants from 15 North Darfur localities in attendance. Enrolment numbers during June for the 2008/2009 school year have been supplied by the State Ministry of Education (SMoE). It reports that 54,984 school aged children (25,624 girls); 8103 Nomadic children (3,187 girls) are currently enrolled in grade one (1). In coordination with the SMoE and UNICEF, Save the Children (SC)-Sweden has distributed school exercise books (69,889) which will reach 10,000 children in Tawilla and As Salaam IDP Camp.

South Darfur

– UNICEF in collaboration with Child Friendly Community Initiatives (CFC) conducted training for 75 participants – including 15 teachers on Mine Risk Awareness in Kass locality. Similar workshops were also conducted in Rehel el Birdy locality. The UNICEF supported second round of training in HIV/AIDS life skills curriculum of thirty (30) teachers, has been conducted and will reach 5,000 children in 18 primary schools.

FOOD SECURITY AND LIVELIHOODS

North Darfur

– The WFP Training of trainers (TOT) activities have been completed in preparation for the roll-out of the Blanket Supplementary Feeding Programme (BSFP), targeting children under-five. Partners are expected to carry out further trainings and sensitization at community level over the next weeks.

– Food dispatches to all schools under the Food for Education programme have been completed in towns and are ongoing in rural areas. WFP will be meeting with the State Ministry of Education (SMoE) to review reporting parameters and requirements.

South Darfur

– The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) collaborated with UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP) and Cooperative Housing Foundation (CHF) on a pilot project in South Darfur for Otash IDP Camp and the host community to help them set up a vegetable garden that the communities can develop and maintain independently. Towards this project FAO not only provided seeds, garden tools and equipment but also valuable technical support. FAO’s previous vegetable garden projects have proved to be very successful, offering vulnerable communities alternative sources of nutrition and an added means of income generation.

– Oxfam has completed a month-long masonry training course for 150 people in Kalma IDP Camp. The participants have now been equipped with tool kits

– The joint WFP and Tearfund BSFP project in Ed Daein has been extended for another two (2) months to cater for over 13,000 children under-five. The project currently reaches over 40,000 children in South Darfur.

– During the week, 5,894 IDPs re-displaced from Sania Afandu were received in Um Kunya, Dwana and Hajir. These displaced are already WFP ration card holders, who were added to the distribution list in the receiving location and will receive food assistance in July.

HEALTH AND NUTRITION

South Darfur

– Oxfam’s public health teams in Kalma and Kass IDP Camps have been responding to the rainy season with a series of public campaigns to remove waste from camps and clean jerry cans. There has been very strong participation from the local community in Kass where more than 1,200 people participated in cleaning nearly 5,000 jerry cans, and over 400 women and youth assisted in moving large piles of garbage from near the camps. In Kalma IDP Camp 200 latrines were disinfected with lime.

– Oxfam repaired 55 latrines for community use in Kass. A survey of latrines found 80% are being kept clean and well maintained by community members

– The distributed 26 pick axes and shovels to community committees in Kass was conducted by Oxfam as part of the malaria prevention campaign. The tools are used to fill pits of stagnant water where mosquitoes breed.

– Oxfam — in conjunction with other international NGOs and the MoH — plan to step up a new prevention campaign to prepare for Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD) in Kass town and IDP camps. However, due to insecurity in the area, the start of the campaign has been temporarily delayed. New jerry cans, soap cartons and powder, and tools will be provided to communities, while drama groups and speakers with megaphones will be used to spread health messages.

NON-FOOD ITEMS (NFIS)

North Darfur

– This week all common pipeline distributions supported community projects in IDP camps. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) distributed 1,500 NFI Common Pipeline sanitary materials to vulnerable women’s groups in Abu Souk, As Salaam and Zam Zam IDP Camps.

West Darfur

– The NFI Common Pipeline supported 4,035 newly displaced households in the Selia area this week. Items distributed were plastic sheeting and jerry cans. Distributions were conducted by the NGO Concern.

– The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) distributed NFI Common Pipeline plastic sheeting to 1,900 newly displaced households in Umm Kheir Camp.

– The NGO Helpage distributed NFI Common Pipeline plastic sheeting and blankets to 447 households of extremely vulnerable-elderly populations in Dorti, Ardamata and Riyad IDP Camps

PROTECTION AND HUMAN RIGHTS

North Darfur

– A workshop focusing on the harmful effects of female genital mutilation (FGM) was conducted by the CFCI and supported by UNICEF in collaboration with UNFPA and the State Ministry of Health. Twenty five (25) participants from Um Marahik, Garnie, Luwabid, Abu Zerega and Tabit CFCI communities were trained on the harmful effects of FGM and SMoH policies surrounding FGM.

– UNICEF has directly supported a second round training for 30 secondary school teachers in the El Fasher locality on the Life Skills Curriculum. In addition, in collaboration with GOAL, and supported by UNICEF, 26 community health promoters working in the Kutum locality have received training in interpersonal communication for HIV/AIDS risk behavior change.

WATER AND SANITATION

South Darfur

– On going preparations for the rainy season have seen the State Water Corporation (SWC) and UNICEF step up chlorination activities in Kalma IDP Camp and Nyala town. Hygiene promotion activities have been conducted in Otash, Al Salam and Mossei IDP Camps. Household hygiene promoters visited 245 homes in Otash IDP Camp; six (6) hygiene promotion sessions were conducted in Al Salam IDP Camp; and in Mossei IDP Camp, two (2) general cleanup campaigns were carried out. Additionally, UNICEF supplied 32,452 cartons of laundry soap to OXFAM, CARE, Action Contre la Faim (ACF), World Vision International (WVI), Tearfund and the SWC to be distributed to IDP beneficiaries in 19 IDP gathering areas to support hygiene promotion which will reach 146,034 households.

If you have inputs for the next edition or questions and comments on this one, or other media and public enquiries, please contact:
Nahla Zarroug, Information Analyst, United Nations, Khartoum, Sudan, Email: [email protected], Telephone: +249-9-12160065
For other media and public enquiries, you may also contact:
Orla Clinton, Public Information Officer, United Nations, Khartoum, Sudan, Email: [email protected], Telephone: +249-9-12174454
Imad Hassanein, Media Officer, United Nations, Khartoum, Sudan, Email: [email protected], Telephone: +249-9-12178035