OCHA Situation Report No. 24
Sudan: Darfur
17 July 2008


Source:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

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: 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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