OCHA Situation Report No. 20
Sudan: Darfur
21 December 2007


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Headlines

- Save the Children-USA has delivered 1,554 metric tons (MT) of food aid 
to beneficiaries in AbuZar, Krinding 1, Arara, Um Samgamti, Gimmeza 
Babiker, Krinding 2, Ardamata and Tandusa internally displaced persons 
(IDP) Camps.

- More than 358,000 patients were treated in the fourteen World Health 
Organization (WHO)-supported hospitals throughout North, South and East 
Darfur for the period January to October 2007.

Population movements

North Darfur

- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) completed the 
checking and data entry of pending cases for 813 households (4,008 
individuals) in As Salaam IDP Camp in collaboration with the Sudanese 
Red Crescent Society (SRC). IOM is also assisting SRC in the data entry 
of 331 new households in Zam Zam IDP Camp.

South Darfur

- IOM and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) 
jointly conducted a three-day training session on newly developed solar 
cookers from 11 to 13 December 2007. The training course was facilitated 
by an experienced national consultant for ten women living in Serif IDP 
Camp. The IDP camp is located in West Nyala and is currently home to an 
estimated 13,000 individuals. The ten women trained learnt how to use 
the solar cooker to prepare traditional Sudanese dishes. UNIDO provided 
raw cooking materials for use during the training. On 16 December IOM 
monitored the group of women and found that eight of the trained women 
were using the solar cooking for boiling water, cooking potatoes and 
eggs. The use of such stoves will reduce reliance upon firewood, the 
collection of which often creates physical risks for women when leaving 
the safety of the camp, and impacts negatively on the local environment.

Needs and response by sector

Education

North Darfur

- UNICEF has provided 45 education classroom kits, 17 student kits and 
19 recreation kits - in addition to more than 200 assorted textbooks - 
to Haskanita benefiting 1,250 IDP children. In Dar el Salam 144 
classroom kits, 185 student kits and more than 2,800 assorted textbooks 
were distributed to schools benefiting 8,445 children, half of them 
girls.

South Darfur

- UNICEF supported school children in Kalma IDP Camp to plant 100 
seedlings in each of eight schools in the camp.

Food Security and Livelihoods

West Darfur

- In the last two weeks, Save the Children-USA has delivered 1,554 
metric tons (MT) of food aid to beneficiaries in AbuZar, Krinding 1, 
Arara, Um Samgamti, Gimmeza Babiker, Krinding 2, Ardamata and Tandusa 
IDP Camps.

Health and Nutrition

- More than 358,000 patients were treated in the 14 WHO-supported 
hospitals throughout North, South and East Darfur for the period January 
to October 2007. Of these, more than 146,000 were IDPs referred by 
partner agencies - from primary health care facilities or from IDP camps 
- and who were given free medical or surgical treatment in the hospitals 
including consultation and hospital monitoring, drugs and supplies, 
laboratory or diagnostic procedures, and accommodation.

North Darfur

- A UNICEF supported training course trained 350 vaccinators in North 
Darfur on the introduction and use of the pentavalent vaccine (five 
vaccines in one injection).

- Thirty four medical assistants working in 19 primary healthcare 
facilities in El Fasher, Kutum and Um Kadada localities underwent a 
five-day training on health information management system. Facilitated 
by the WHO and the SMoH, the course was designed to equip the 
participants with basic and modern tools on health management and skills 
to improve the performances. At the end of the course the participants 
received assorted documents on primary health care protocols and 
guidelines.

- With the support of the State Ministry of Health (SMoH), WHO continues 
its efforts to improve access to quality primary healthcare services in 
Um Kadada. WHO and SMoH transferred assorted materials for 
rehabilitating Um Heglieg health facility. This follows the completion 
of Um Kadoya health facility.

- The SMoH is supported by WHO in the monitoring and supervision of 
Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) implementing 
facilities. This week, four clinics in Kabkabiya locality were visited 
and eight IMCI-kits were distributed in El Fasher and Kabkabiya 
localities.

South Darfur

- The SMoH - with UNICEF support - conducted training for health 
visitors from 12 local communities focusing on supportive supervision, 
follow-up and early referral of reproductive health cases. UNICEF also 
supported training on standard case management to 15 medical assistants 
from five health facilities in South Darfur, as part of the development 
of Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses.

- As part of meningitis preparedness plan, WHO distributed copies of 
meningitis case management protocol to agencies working in the health 
sector. Training/workshops are now being prepared for the health staff 
in health centre camps on meningitis case definition, surveillance and 
management.

- The vector control campaign is in El Daein targeting Al Neem IDP Camp. 
This activity has been carried out by WHO in collaboration with the 
SMoH.

West Darfur

- UNICEF provided 400 blood testing kits to the NGO MEDAIR, which will 
be used in 11 primary healthcare centres.

- To assist partners in treating malnutrition amongst children, UNICEF 
provided 350 cartons of nutritional paste to the NGO Concern for 17 
feeding centres in El Geneina, Kulbus, Um Shalaya and Selea, in addition 
to 250 cartons to Tear Fund for Beida locality and 150 cartons to Save 
the Children-US for programmes in El Geneina and Forbaranga.

- With UNICEF support, the SMoH has completed the training of 40 staff 
on quality control of iodized salt.

Non-Food Items (NFIs)

North Darfur

- Major efforts have been undertaken to improve household hygiene 
practices with UNICEF supporting OXFAM to distributed more than 138,000 
bars of soap to residents of Abu Shouk IDP Camp, and more than 118,710 
bars in As Salaam IDP Camp. Meanwhile in Kassab, the State Water 
Corporation (SWC) backed by UNICEF and other partners conducted hygiene 
promotion activities and garbage collection and disposal campaigns with 
2,815 households visited by the hygiene promotion teams. UNICEF also 
supported the NGO GOAL to distribute more than 118,000 bars of soap in 
Kassab, and more than 22,000 bards in Fata Barno. In Zam Zam IDP Camp, 
UNICEF and the SWC provided nearly 125,000 bars of soap.

Protection and Human Rights

South Darfur

- With UNICEF guidance 25 children associated with armed forces in Jebel 
Marra have been demobilized by the community and enrolled in a local 
school.

Water and Sanitation

North Darfur

- In Zam Zam IDP Camp 2,000 residents will have improved access to water 
following the drilling of four new boreholes and the installation of 
hand pumps by the SWC with the support of UNICEF. The SWC also assisted 
camp residents to chlorinate water supplies in one water storage tank 
and to repair three other hand pumps in the camp.

South Darfur

- To improve access to safe human excreta disposal for residents 247 new 
household latrines were constructed with UNICEF support in Al Salam, 
Otash, Se Kale, Khor Omar and Al Need IDP Camps.

West Darfur

UNICEF supported the SWC to drill and install nine new boreholes and 
hand pumps in Habila and Um Khiar, bringing clean water to 2,250 nomadic 
resident

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: zarroug@un.org, Telephone: +249-9-12160065

For other media and public enquiries, you may also contact:

Orla Clinton, Public Information Officer, United Nations, Khartoum, 
Sudan, Email: clinton@un.org, Telephone: +249-9-12174454

Imad Hassanein, Media Officer, United Nations, Khartoum, Sudan, Email: 
hassaneini@un.org, Telephone: +249-9-12178035

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