Humanitarian Action in Darfur Weekly Bulletin No.22

Key overall developments

– In a press release issued on 30 June, The World Food Programme (WFP) announced that five donors have stepped forward with contributions totalling US$14.8 million for the Humanitarian Air Service (WFP-HAS). Grants included $4 million from the United States, $4 million from the UN Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) for Sudan, $3.8 million from the European Commission, $2.5 million from Canada and $500,000 from the US-based Annenberg Foundation. Additional pledges are also expected in the next two months.

Needs and response by sector

Education

South Darfur

– Key Education stakeholders including UNICEF and the State Ministry of Education (SMoE) in South Darfur meet to report on progress made in the last six (6) months. A number of achievements were made including; 221 classrooms were built and 335 classrooms were rehabilitated; 38 latrines re/constructed; 85 offices re/constructed; 13 schools were fenced; 252 parent teacher associations (PTAs) were established and trained; 57 volunteer teachers were trained; four (4) theatres were built; 360 children were trained in hygiene promotion; 650 children were trained in general health education; and 116,463 children benefitted from the food for education (FFE) programme in South Darfur.

Food Security and Livelihoods

North Darfur

– The verification of new arrivals is ongoing in Zam Zam IDP Camp, and those meeting the food vulnerability criteria will be registered and included in the food distribution list. Training of trainers (TOT) for the Blanket Supplementary Feeding Programme (BSFP) is ongoing in parts of the state in preparation for the planned launch of the programme. Cooperating Partner staff, selected community members and Food Aid Management Committee members are among the participants.

– The Food for Education coverage has been increased to include 12,000 children in 38 schools, bringing the total number of WFP school feeding beneficiaries in North Darfur to 160,000 in 384 schools.

South Darfur

– The 2,971 people displaced from Sania Afandu to Yassin have been added to WFP’s General Food Distribution (GFD) list. Under the Food for Seeds Protection programme, a seasonal support programme for vulnerable groups, WFP and partners completed the food distribution for just over 31,000 people in the Kass locality.

West Darfur

– Approximately 235,000 people received 2,180 metric tons (MT) of food under the GFD programme during the week. All planned food dispatches for the month of June, including pre-positioning, were completed except for some villages in Mornei where two (2) WFP fleet trucks were attacked. These are expected to be completed in July.

Health and Nutrition

North Darfur

– Being prepared for disease outbreak has been a focus for many UNICEF activities in Darfur. UNICEF is urging households to prioritise personal and household hygiene in an effort to reduce the risks from water-borne diseases before the onset of the rainy season.
– With UNICEF support the North Darfur State Ministry of Health (SMoH) Epidemiology department/Emergency Humanitarian Action Unit participated in the training of 50 SmoH staff in 12 localities in emergency planning “Disease outbreak and Response plan”.
– The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners continue to preposition drugs and medical supplies in high risk areas to ensure enough stock of drugs for emergency response in case of any acute watery diarrhea (AWD) outbreak.
– To help improve the quality of primary health care services in Kutum, WHO has extended its full support for capacity building of INGO local staff working in the area particularly the health workers of Malteser International and GOAL Ireland. Priorities are training sessions on integrated management of childhood illness and laboratory investigations.
– With support from WHO and the SMoH, Partner AID International Sudan reopened the health clinic in Khazan Tungur. While in Tukumare, a weekly mobile clinic has been operational and is offering basic curative and preventive services including vaccination of under five children.
– WHO — in collaboration with the SMoH — continue monitoring, providing support and advocating to step up environmental health/sanitation activities within the camps particularly in Abu Shouk, As Salaam and Shangil Tobayi where cases of diarrhea have been reported.

South Darfur

– To address the reported high number of acute jaundice syndrome and diarrheal disease cases, WHO, UNICEF, and water sanitation and health partners have strengthened health intervention activities among populations in high risk camps in South Darfur, particularly in El Salam, Kalma, and Yassin locality. Activities include active case findings, hygiene promotion, and health education activities.
– In Gereida IDP Camp, WHO communicable disease control and environmental health officers are monitoring new arrivals of displaced people in the camp with particular focus on lack of sanitation and poor hygiene conditions. Twenty health workers from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Merlin and Gereida Hospital underwent an on-job training from WHO on case definition and case management of acute watery diarrhea and bloody diarrhea. Case definition, treatment protocols and prevention measure guidelines were distributed to health facilities inside the camp.
– In Tullus Hospital, gaps in drugs, renewable surgical supplies, laboratory reagents and equipment were filled by the WHO and the SMoH to ensure free access to health services for IDPs. The Ministry of Health will provide the blood bank with a refrigerator while the Tullus Hospital management will work on the rehabilitation of the pharmacy and laboratory — with WHO support.
– Primary health care unit rehabilitation and restoration of services in four (4) areas in Buram locality reached 50% completion. The Finnish Red Cross is continuing health services in the area through the use of mobile teams. The early warning alert and response system in Buram was established by 37 health workers trained by the SMoH with technical support from WHO.

West Darfur

– UNICEF has provided 18 Primary Health Care (PHC) kits, containing essential drugs and medical supplies to the INGO International Medical Corps (IMC) to support their operations in El Geneina. In addition to this, UNICEF has provided 200 cartons of nutritional paste to NGO Save the Children-US (SC-US) to address specialist feeding programmes in El Geneina and Forbaranga locality for the next five months.
– Seventy medical doctors and assistants were trained on acute watery diarrhea and rift valley fever case definition and management in Zalingei and Forbaranga. The training sessions on flood preparedness activities were conducted by the WHO, the SMoH and health partners.
– WHO assistance to rural hospitals in West Darfur continued with the provision of laboratory slides, test tubes, and colorimeter machine to Kulbus Hospital; supported Mornei Hospital with microscopes, colorimeter machine, centrifuge, laboratory slides and test tubes for its laboratory. On the other hand, El Geneina Teaching Hospital has been supported by the SMoH with three (3) new laboratory technicians while WHO is strengthening the hospital’s referral system to improve access of IDPs to health services.

Non-Food Items (NFIs)

The NFI and emergency shelter (ES) Sector is pleased to announce the receipt of funding from the Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) — to be allocated as per priorities agreed by partners in the Sector Meeting. While the receipt of these funds helps alleviate immediate concerns, overall sector funding remains insufficient to cover projected activities for 2008. The partners will continue to actively approach donors and search for solutions to ensure life-saving non-food and emergency shelter aid is delivered.

North Darfur

– This week the majority of distributions supported victims of fire in North Darfur. Of the 112 households served, GOAL distributed NFI Common Pipeline items to 50 households in Dalol village in Kutum and German Agro Action (GAA) distributed to 62 households in Tofto village in Mellit locality.
– The Sudan Social Development Organization (SUDO) distributed 25 pieces of Common Pipeline plastic sheeting to support an IDP Center in As Salaam IDP Camp.

South Darfur

– The NFI Common Pipeline supported 1,674 newly displaced households in South Darfur this week. Items distributed were plastic sheeting, blankets, jerry cans and clothing. Distributions were carried out by Solidarite to 350 households in Seleah and the Social Solidarity Organization (SSO) to 1,324 households in Hijaar and Um-Kunya.
– Additionally, World Vision International (WVI) provided NFI Common Pipeline clothing to 800 households of extremely vulnerable persons in Manawashi IDP Camp Mershing.

West Darfur

– Triangle distributed Common Pipeline plastic sheeting to 1,850 households of IDPs requiring replenishment in Bindisi IDP Camp and Wadi Salih.

Protection and Human Rights

North Darfur

– On 25 – 26 June, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) organized a rule of law seminar in El Fasher on “the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Referral Pathway”. The seminar was facilitated by Professor Abdalla Moussa Yagoub and it sought to strengthen the awareness about the referral pathway for SGBV survivors through a lecture and discussion. Some 250 academics, students, IDPs, civil society representatives, and community leaders took part of this raising awareness event.
– The Convention for the Rights of Children and issues surrounding the protection of children were at the forefront in the training led by the Child Friendly Community Initiative (CFCI) for 30 animators from six (6) rural communities around El Fasher. The UNICEF supported training — in cooperation with Enfants Du Monde Child Rights Promotion Centre in Abu Shouk IDP Camp — bought together animators from Um Marahik, Lawabid, Abu Zerega, Abu Delek, Sag El Naam and Sani Karaw. The animators where trained to run psychosocial activities in UNICEF Child Friendly Spaces under construction in their respective communities.

South Darfur

– Children and youth have benefited from UNICEF supported efforts to rehabilitate youth centres and Child Friendly Spaces in South Darfur Camps. The rehabilitation of seven (7) youth centres has taken place in the IDP camps of Kalma, Otash, Bielel, Al Sheref and Al Salam, which will benefit 6,300 children and youth. Two other youth centres are under rehabilitation in Al Salam and Hiltahaussa. In Kalma IDP Camp three (3) Child Friendly Spaces, which will cater for 3,000 children and adolescents, have been rehabilitated.
– The Afag Almustagbal Women Development Organization — supported by UNFPA South Darfur — organized a campaign on female genital mutilation (FGM) covering the four (4) IDP Camps of Otash, Mossei, Sekele, and Serif. Through this campaign 878 women were reached and participated in activities including group discussions, marches, and drama performances. The campaign was also an opportunity to reach 711 IDP women and distribute women’s clothing provided by the United Nations Joint Logistic Center (UNJLC).
– The Ministry of Social Affairs in the South Darfur State — supported by UNFPA — conducted four (4) training workshops on gender-based violence (GBV) targeting 120 sheikhs in Gereida, Duma, Amakassara, and Nyala.
– With the support of UNFPA, The Nahda for women and Child Development Organization conducted two (2) workshops on domestic violence and FGM for 100 women and girls.

West Darfur

– UNICEF supported the INGO Terre des Homes (TdH) in conducting a training “on psychosocial support concepts” for 30 teachers from the SMoE. The teachers trained are all working in schools within IDP camps.

Water and Sanitation

North Darfur

– In Abu Shouk IDP Camp, the State Water Corporation (SWC) team disinfected 23 hand pumps as part of a plan to mitigate against the effects of AWD. While in As Salaam IDP Camp a further 14 hand pumps were disinfected as a part of the plan to tackle disease during the rainy season. Garbage collection campaigns were also conducted in Abu Shouk and Zam Zam IDP Camps in conjunction with a household hygiene campaign in Abu Shouk in which over 500 households were visited.

South Darfur

– The provision of safe drinking water has been a focus in South Darfur IDP camps with continuing chlorination activities for all water schemes that are run by motorized equipment. This has also intensified as a part of AWD preventive measures. The SWC — supported by UNICEF — led clean up campaigns in Otash and Mossei IDP Camps. Also, UNICEF supported discussion and dialogue on hygiene promotion in Mossei IDP Camp which was attended by 45 women.

West Darfur

– The SWC — with support from UNICEF — continued the chlorination and maintenance of 18 water yards in Zalingei, Mornei, Habila and El Geneina. Approximately 64,000 beneficiaries are benefiting from the motorized water schemes and access to clean water.
– In Adikong, 4,500 beneficiaries were provided with safe excreta disposal facilities through the construction of 200 household latrines. Another 25 household latrines were built in Krinding 1 IDP Camp. The construction was led by the SWC, with UNICEF support.

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