OCHA Situation Report No. 33
Sudan: Darfur
18 September 2008


Source:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Key overall developments

- In August, the World Food Programme (WFP) provided 3.3 million people in
Darfur with 31,385 metric tons (MT) of food assistance. Food was provided
at a reduced ration scale, meeting 75% of the daily kilo/calorie
requirement, due to continuing food delivery delays caused by banditry
activities. Food rations were further reduced in September, excluding
corn-soya blend (CSB) from the General Food Distribution (GFD) basket to
prioritise available CSB stocks in Darfur to support nutrition
interventions targeting children and women. The revised food basket now
provides 71% of the daily kilo/calorie requirement, which remains in
jeopardy of further ration cuts should the security situation not improve.

Population Movements

WFP reported that 541 people who were displaced from Sania Afandu and
Buram were verified this week and added to the GFD caseload. A WFP
security assessment is ongoing in the Sania Afandu area, which has been
inaccessible for a long period of time. Significant population movements
from this area have been observed, and those fleeing have been assisted in
other locations. The findings of the security assessment will enable the
launch of a humanitarian mission to assess the situation of those
remaining in the Sania Afandu area.

Needs and response by sector

Education

North Darfur

- Classroom rehabilitation continues in El Sereaf and Saraf Omra
localites. The Autash Association for Peace and Development - with UNICEF
support - completed the rehabilitation of eight (8) permanent classrooms
in El Sereaf girls' school benefiting 400 girls (60% of whom are nomadic
children). The association transported all construction materials to the
selected locations in Saraf Omra and El Sereaf localities for the
construction of 12 additional permanent classrooms which will benefit over
600 school age children. In coordination with UNICEF, the State Ministry
of Education (SMoE) released six (6) blackboards, six (6) classroom kits,
and six (6) pupil kits (G1 - G4) to schools in El Fasher rural benefiting
over 400 girls. In collaboration with the SMoE and UNICEF, Save the
Children Sweden completed the construction of six (6) classrooms in As
Salaam IDP Camp benefiting 400 children.

Food Security and Livelihoods

North Darfur

- Oxfam has been implementing training sessions on Management of Natural
Resources, to community organisations in Kabkabiya. Topics included in the
training include land use, rainwater harvesting, and agricultural uses of
sorghum and millet.

- Oxfam gave cash grants of 200 SDG to 200 selected women in Abu Shouk and
As Salaam IDP Camps. The women completed a two-day training session in
trade and business management, and have said they will use the grant to
establish a range of small businesses including selling vegetables,
firewood and charcoal, and selling tea and coffee.

- Over the last month, Oxfam - in collaboration with the National
Forestry Commission and local community partners - has planted nearly
16,000 tree seedlings in Kabkabiya in North Darfur.

- Food distributions were completed in Kassab, Fata Borno and Abu Shouk
IDP Camps, while they are ongoing in As Salaam IDP Camp. Food
distributions resumed in rural Kabkabiya after being suspended in August
due to road inaccessibility. Currently, 29% of the September food
deliveries have been effected.

- WFP partner, Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF)-Belgium, carried out Blanket
Supplementary Feeding Programme (BSFP) training for 311 community
representatives, majority of them women, of Kabkabiya town. The training
aims to sensitize beneficiary households on how to prepare the BSFP
premix, proper storage and good hygiene practices. The trained community
representatives are expected to disseminate the message to other members
of the community ahead of the planned BSFP distributions scheduled for
this month.

South Darfur

- Supplementary and blanket supplementary food distributions were
completed in Otash, El Serif, Manawashi and Ed Daein IDP Camps. Meanwhile,
WFP partner, American Refugee Committee (ARC), is continuing its screening
and referral of households that qualify for Supplementary Feeding support
to the WFP distribution centre.

West Darfur

- Food deliveries to El Geneina have been problematic, particularly with
ongoing rains. Efforts are being made to dispatch food to Geneina from
Nyala.

- In El Geneina, 57 schools received 212 MT of food in support of the Food
for Education programme. The programme currently reaches 123 basic schools
in El Geneina, Habila, Forbaranga, Zalingei and Mukjar localities.

Health and Nutrition

North Darfur

- Oxfam carried out a five-day community awareness campaign in Kabkabiya
town. The team visited 8,500 households, to promote prevention of Malaria
and Acute Watery Diarrhoea. The campaign was undertaken in collaboration
with the Ministry of Health, the Sudanese Red Crescent and local youth
groups.

Non-Food Items (NFIs)

As Sector Lead, the United Nations Joint Logistics Center (UNJLC)
continues to monitor flooding throughout all three Darfur states and
coordinate effective and timely flood-response with partners operating in
the affected localities. Beneficiaries, who have lost their household
possessions due to flooding, are receiving plastic sheeting, blankets,
plastic sleeping mats, and jerry cans. This week, responses to flooding
focused on mitigating the effects of recent rains in North Darfur.

North Darfur

- This week the Common Pipeline supported 770 flood-affected households
with non-food items. Distributions were made by the NGO African
Humanitarian Action (AHA) in the Dar el Salam locality and by German Agro
Action (GAA) in Mellit.

South Darfur

- The Sudan Development Organisation (SUDO) distributed NFIs to 990
households of vulnerable populations in Bielel IDP Camp. Items distributed
were plastic sheeting, blankets, plastic sleeping mats and jerry cans.

Protection and Human Rights

South Darfur

- The Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) campaign
continued with UNICEF supported activities reaching community members who
work in the Child Friendly Community Initiative (CFCI) villages. A
training session in DDR basic concepts and awareness was attended by eight
(8) CFCI animators and nine (9) social workers. The training included the
goal of the campaign, the plans, the use of the materials, the
methodology, the communication skills and the role of the social workers
and animators in relation to DDR.

- In Gereida IDP Camp, UNICEF has supported partners, Children Development
Foundation (CDF), ARC, and Merlin in the rehabilitation of four (4) youth
centers, and the construction of another four (4) youth centres, reaching
27,000 youth, adolescents and children. The eight (8) centers provide
psychosocial and educational activities related to sport, drama,
recreational activities, literacy classes and English language learning.
Some 1,772 women - mainly girls - are attending literacy classes on daily
basis in the eight (8) youth centers.

Water and Sanitation

North Darfur

- Oxfam's teams in the IDP camps of Shangil Tobayi, Abu Shouk and As
Salaam have repaired and constructed nearly 600 latrines in the past
month. The communities have provided time and labor to assist with the
repairs.

South Darfur

- The backfilling and rehabilitation of latrines has been on going in
Beliel, Al Salam and Otash IDP Camps. "Backfilling" is the term for simply
filling in used latrines. Maintenance, rehabilitation and construction of
latrines is on going in flood affected areas of Kalma IDP Camp. Hygiene
promotion activities, along with jerry can cleaning, have also been
rigorously undertaken.

- UNICEF - in collaboration with the State Water Corporation Water
Environment Sanitation (WES) team - have initiated sessions for school
children within Al Salam IDP Camp to assist in the dissemination of
hygiene messages within the community.

West Darfur

- With UNICEF support, the WES project has constructed 21 household
latrines to provided 216 people in Krinding-I with safe excreta disposal
facilities. The WES project also conducted cleaning campaigns in Nertiti
with approximately 160 households. A further 534 households were reached
with hygiene promotion messages particularly focusing upon personal
hygiene and environment cleanliness in Dorti, El Riyad, Nertiti and
Ardamata IDP Camps.

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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