Humanitarian Action in Darfur Weekly Bulletin No. 20

Needs and response by sector

EDUCATION

North Darfur

– With financial support from UNICEF, the El Fasher Rural Development Network (RDN) has constructed eight (8) classrooms at Dameera basic school to cater for more than 400 children. The UNICEF-supported child friendly community initiative (CFCI) has also completed construction of eight (8) classrooms, and rehabilitated four (4) existing classrooms in Abu Zerega for more than 600 children. With assistance from UNICEF, German Agro Action (GAA) completed the construction of 50 temporary classrooms in 15 basic schools in Malha locality benefiting 4,691 children. GAA has also distributed benches, desks and blackboards to the schools.

South Darfur

– UNICEF provided school supplies to benefit 300 children in Ban Jadid School.

FOOD SECURITY AND LIVELIHOODS

North Darfur

– The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) pre-positioned nine (9) metric tons of millet seeds and 11,000 pieces of weeding hoes throughout North Darfur.

– FAO also delivered 475kg of assorted vegetable seeds and 8,000 pieces of weeding hoes to the NGO Action Contre la Faim (ACF) for distribution in the Dar el Salam Locality.

– With FAO support, implementing partners Cooperative Housing Foundation (CHF) and Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI) vaccinated a total of 90,630 heads of different types of livestock, while CHF treated a total 1,381 different types of animals in the region. About 2,000 households benefited from these services. CHF — with FAO support — vaccinated 18,167 heads of different animals belonging to 1,040 households and treated 3,181 heads of different animals belonging to 1,096 households in Kuma and El Fashir IDP Camps. Also, COOPI — with FAO support — conducted the vaccination of 193,373 heads of different animals belonging to 6,445 households in El Siyah and Mallit areas.

– The food security and livelihoods coordination forum — in collaboration with the State Ministry of Agriculture — organized a Training of Trainers (ToT) program targeting NGOs and staff from the State Ministry of Agriculture who will be directly involved in the implementation of the agricultural support program at field levels. Knowledge from the training will further be disseminated to the farmers and extension workers at grassroots village level as a strategy to mitigate the considerably low yield and low crop production levels in the state.

– The Plant Protection Department of the FAO, carried out a preventive campaign on the Sudan millet bug in Kutum Locality as well as a rodent control campaign in Kutum, Kabkabiya and Lait localities.

– In collaboration with CHF and the El Fashir Veterinary Department, FAO conducted a field trip to the Zam Zam area with the aim of undertaking an assessment of the general livestock conditions. This is in response to complaints from community leaders of an influx of livestock owners with their animals from different neighbouring areas. The community leaders complained that this influx had led to high competition on the limited resources in the area.

South Darfur

– In an effort to promote effective community empowerment and improve micronutrient intake in IDP and host communities, FAO, CHF, the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF have developed a pilot community-based kitchen vegetable garden project for Otash IDP Camp and one (1) host community. Vegetable seeds produced here will be transplanted in June.

West Darfur

– FAO has signed Letters of Agreement (LoA) with the NGOs Fellowship for African Relief (FAR), Triangle, INTERSOS, World Relief (WR), Help Age International, and Tearfund to provide assistance for the upcoming rainy season in the West Darfur State. The LoA’s signed included livestock support components. WR with support from FAO, West Darfur, has concluded a donkey restocking project in which 150 households benefited from the project.

– Catholic Relief Services (CRS) — with FAO funding — finalized the implementation of the animal fence and shelter in Abuzar IDP Camp.

– FAO has signed a LoA with the West Darfur Ministry of Animal Resources to train 140 community animal health workers (CAHWs). Of this number, 107 CAHWs will receive primary training and 33 will receive refresher training.

HEALTH AND NUTRITION

North Darfur

– In collaboration with the NGOs Relief International, Malteser, and Partner Aid International (PAI), UNICEF provided a range of health and nutrition supplies to health centres and therapeutic feeding centres in Kutum, Um Kaddada, Mellit, Kabkabiya, Al Lait health centres, and therapeutic feeding centres (TFCs).

– UNICEF helped establish new Supplementary Feeding Programmes in Abu Shouk and As Salaam IDP Camps. UNICEF also supported the training of 30 medical staff on addressing severe acute malnutrition.

– A five-day training on outbreak investigation and control — supported by the State Ministry of Health (SMoH) UNICEF and WHO — was attended by eight (8) medical staff from Kutum and Malleit Rural Hospitals. The aim of the training was to strengthen the capabilities of health field workers in preparation for the impact of floods this year particularly among the displaced population in North Darfur.

– WHO facilitated a five-day training on health management and information system for six (6) primary health care supervisors from the NGO Malteser International working in Dar Salam and Wadaa localities. The training included vital topics on health management such as common tools for planning management, how to adopt acquired knowledge in developing a work plan, local health system, and standards of primary health care services.

South Darfur

– UNICEF provided a range of health supplies to partners in the last week. These have included ten (10) primary health care kits containing essential medicines and related materials for centres in Amorgo, Twyafra, Alguz, Kundi and Rejl Baba; 100,000 prazequantil tablets for the treatment of schistosomiasis, to be used in an upcoming campaign in Al Salam IDP Camp; and 50,000 sachets of oral rehydration salts and 500 bottles of ringer lactate as part of preparations for outbreaks of acute watery diarrhea.

– With the increase in the number of acute jaundice syndrome (AJS) cases in El Salam IDP Camp — from 42 AJS cases to 50 cases — WHO, UNICEF, and health partners in South Darfur will work closely to step-up water and sanitation activities and hygiene promotion/health education in El Salam IDP Camp.

– As part of its acute watery diarrhea (ADW) preparedness activities in the Bulbul-Kubum corridor, WHO is working closely with Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) for prepositioning of medical drugs and supplies. WHO supports NCA with needed medical drugs and supplies and ensuring delivery of supplies in existing health facilities in the corridor.

– To assess the overall health situation in IDP camps and determine needs for support, WHO and partners conducted an assessment mission in the town of Gereida. Primary health care facilities in camps managed by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Merlin were visited and assessed. Major problems were determined and gaps identified during the mission. A follow-up mission to Gereida town will be undertaken by WHO, UNICEF, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to address other health issues such as HIV/AIDS, gender-based violence (GBV) and mental health. WHO will follow up the urgent need for a hospital doctor and a laboratory technician for Gereida Rural Hospital.

– In its effort to ensure free hospital health services to IDPs, WHO regularly visits and monitors teaching and rural hospitals in South Darfur. WHO supplied 60 hepatitis-B virus diagnostic kits to the Nyala Teaching Hospital (NTH) pharmacy. To improve waste products dispensing in hospitals, WHO supported Ed Daein Rural Hospital with protective clothes and safety waste boxes. WHO also responded to the medical drugs and supplies gaps of the health facilities operated by the Turkish Red Crescent and Action Contre La Faim.

West Darfur

– To support the implementation of environmental health activities in the Abusuruj region, Tandulti, Um Shalaya region, Ardamata, Dorti, Kerinding, Habila, and Forbaranga the WHO supported Medair and Save the Children-US (SC-US) with water quality reagents and environmental health consumables.

– WHO will support the SMoH in the rehabilitation of four (4) primary health care facilities in the northern corridor of West Darfur. Rehabilitation of health facilities will include structural reconstruction, re-equipping of clinics, and capacity building of health staff.

– In Forbaranga, WHO met with health partners actively working in the area and assessed existing health referral system (from primary health care units to the hospitals). WHO with the SMoH supports the on-going training of health staff from Forbaranga Rural Hospital on emergency life-saving surgical operations for doctors and basic emergency health skills.

NON-FOOD ITEMS (NFIS)

Plastic sheeting and jerry cans remain the critical items as the rainy season has begun. While procurement is underway for plastic sheeting and jerry cans it will only be able to alleviate some of the identified shortfall for the rainy season. The NFI Common Pipeline Partners — the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the United Nations Joint Logistic Center (UNJLC), CARE and UNICEF — continue to be concerned about shortfalls in funding for the procurement of non-food items (NFIs) and emergency shelter (ES).

South Darfur

– This week, 1,000 pieces of plastic sheeting were provided by the NFI Common Pipeline to the NGO Solidarite to support the newly displaced in Adila South and Maali.

West Darfur

– INTERSOS distributed Common Pipeline NFIs to 984 households of vulnerable rural population in Habila.

PROTECTION AND HUMAN RIGHTS

South Darfur

– UNICEF and the North Sudan Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Commission organized a two day workshop in Nyala attended by 60 representatives of the five armed movements who have signed the Darfur Peace Agreement, along with government and NGO personnel, to discuss the situation of children associated with armed forces and groups in the State and outline arrangements in place to support children who are demobilized.

– Training courses in five (5) IDP camps have been undertaken — with UNICEF support — to raise awareness and understanding of issues including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, child to child peer education, gender-based violence and peace-building, involving 300 young people and community leaders. Also with UNICEF support six (6) youth committees have been established in the six (6) IDP camps in Nyala.

WATER AND SANITATION

North Darfur

– With UNICEF assistance, the State Water Corporation (SWC) supported the repair and rehabilitation of eleven (11) hand pumps in Abu Shouk, As Salaam, Kassab and Zam Zam IDP Camps, and in the rural areas of Mellit, Um Kaddada and El Fasher, while the partners have also supported an environmental clean-up campaign in Zam Zam IDP Camp and rehabilitated 22 communal latrines. In Abbasi, the SWC, UNICEF and IDPs have rehabilitated 63 communal latrines and constructed 12 school latrines. In Kassab, 59 household hygiene promotion visits have been undertaken, while group education sessions reached 226 people. In Zam Zam IDP Camp, camp residents have cleaned 1,400 latrines.

South Darfur

– In Otash camp for internally displaced persons, the SWC and UNICEF supported two (2) general clean-up campaigns involving 98 camp residents, in addition to 200 home visits by hygiene promoters. The partners also supported group hygiene promotion activities reaching 74 people. In Al Salam IDP Camp, the partners organized hygiene promotion activities reaching nearly 800 people, while camp cleanup campaigns were organized in Mossei IDP Camp.

West Darfur

– The SWC — with the support of UNICEF — completed drilling of three (3) hand pumps in Adekong village, benefiting 1,500 community members, and rehabilitated one (1) borehole in Al Tadamon village, re-establishing access to safe drinking water for 500 people.

– UNICEF and the SWC reached 422 households with hygiene promotion messages in Dorti and Ardamata IDP Camps, in addition to undertaking four (4) camp cleanup campaigns. Also, 259 households were reached with hygiene messages in Garsila and Nertiti IDP Camps.

– WHO and UNICEF collaboratively work with their water, sanitation and hygiene promotion partners in West Darfur to ensure the implementation of water safety plans in diarrhea high risk areas. Needs of partners have been identified including reagents, equipment and consumables while list of buffer stock will be established.