OCHA Situation Report No. 12
Sudan: Darfur
24 April 2008

Source:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Headlines

UNICEF has made a financial contribution of $24,875 to support the
establishment of three Child Friendly Spaces, providing psychosocial and
recreational activities.

Medair has completed an Emergency Water System based on a jetting approach
in Abu Suruj serving approximately 2,800 individuals within Sphere
standards.

Key overall developments

In March, the World Food Programme (WFP) assisted 2.4 million people in
Darfur with 32,000 metric tonnes (mt) of food. Heightened tension along
the northern corridor in West Darfur prevented access to some 10,000
people.

Starting May 2008, WFP will be forced to implement ration cuts for some
2.4 million people in Darfur. This is due to continuing banditry attacks
on WFP-contracted trucks delivering food to Darfur which have slowed down
the pace of food deliveries. These ration cuts will not affect the school
feeding programme and the supplementary feeding programme.

Needs and response by sector

Education

North Darfur

In a partnership with the State Ministry of Education (SMoE) and UNICEF,
the NGO PLAN Sudan completed the rehabilitation of 36 temporary classrooms
and two offices in Zam Zam IDP Camp benefiting over 2,000 children.

The SMoE and UNICEF have completed training of 50 pre-school teachers in
North Darfur.

UNICEF has made a financial contribution of $24,875 to support the
establishment of three Child Friendly Spaces, providing psychosocial and
recreational activities in Abu Delake, Um Marahik, and Sag Al Naam
villages.

South Darfur

The SMoE received fabric for school uniforms from UNICEF that will benefit
32,500 female students, including 5,000 from nomadic communities. UNICEF
also provided school supplies through the NGO Samaritan's Purse, including
recreation kits, chalk boards, desks and chairs for 2,500 pupils in the
eastern Jebel Marra area.

West Darfur

NGOs were approached by The Office of the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) to encourage them to construct classrooms for IDPs in
Arara, where UNHCR has identified a lack of educational structures.

UNHCR met with community leaders in the Community Based Rehabilitation
Project (CBRP) village of Jedida to discuss supporting the establishment
of a primary school. In light of the difficult water situation in the
village, however, the sheikhs stated that they do not want a school to be
constructed until water has been found in the village. If no water is
found, the community has stated it is considering moving from the village
entirely.

In partnership with UNICEF, Parent Teacher Associations in Tandalti and
Armankul have supplied some 65,000 bricks as a community contribution
towards the construction of 11 new classrooms in local schools. UNICEF has
also supplied 30 desks and benches, nine kits of teacher and student
materials, chalk, exercise books, tables, chairs and floor mats for the
Adikong School.

Food Security and Livelihoods

North Darfur

Oxfam distributed 50 donkey carts to beneficiaries in As Salaam IDP Camp
to help IDPs start up activities and businesses to generate income

According to WFP, despite insecurity, 84% of April food distribution plans
have been delivered to various distribution points in North Darfur.

South Darfur

WFP and CARE trained 23 Local Food Relief Committees (LFRC) in Kass. LFRCs
are responsible for facilitating and managing food distributions,
particularly in the absence of WFP or an NGO partner at distribution
sites.

The third round of the blanket supplementary feeding for children under-5
was completed in El Neem, Khor Omer, Abumatariq and Ferdous.

WFP has dispatched 98.5% of planned food deliveries for April to various
distribution points in South Darfur.

West Darfur

WFP food security monitoring in Jugma, Mukjar area, showed that the
overall food security situation of the area is not precarious despite low
crop production (compared to last season).

WFP and its partners have distributed 92% of planned distributions for
April.

Health and Nutrition

South Darfur

UNICEF has provided five freezers, six refrigerators and two generators to
the State Ministry of Health to strengthen routine immunization services
in South Darfur.

Therapeutic feeding supplies have been provided by UNICEF to the NGOs
Action Contre La Faim, World Vision, Tearfund and Merlin, as well as the
State Ministry of Health. The supplies included more than 1,500 cartons of
nutritional paste, more than 170 cartons of therapeutic milk, as well as
weighing and measuring equipment.

West Darfur

UNHCR delivered a donkey cart ambulance to the Um Shalaya refugee camp in
order to aid patient referral from the camp to the clinic in Um Shalaya
town. The ambulance has been placed under the management of the refugee
Sheikhs.

UNICEF has provided 15 primary health centre kits containing essential
drugs and medical supplies for use in the Kulbus area.

Non-Food Items (NFIs)

This week, the Common Pipeline Partners - UNJLC, CARE and UNICEF -
completed pre-positioning of available NFI stocks for pre-rainy season
distributions. These stocks, however, are not considered sufficient to
cover needs. A Common Appeal was developed and launched in March for funds
to purchase stocks to fill the gaps. While the Partners continue to meet
with donors, there is concern that the funds are not being received
quickly enough to enable procurement and distribution in time to be
effective. The Common Pipeline continues to provide non-food item (NFI)
packages for IOM to distribute to return operations. Returns from Ed
Daein, South Darfur to Northern Bahr el Ghazal are on-going and expected
to total 8,000 IDPs for this dry season. The Common Pipeline also supplied
thirty tents this week to Solidarite for use in schools in Muhajeria and
East Jebel Marra.

West Darfur

Due to the dry season, the numbers of fire incidents/accidents have
increased. On 12 March the house/tukul of an IDP family in Mukjar was
burnt down and UNHCR assisted the family with NFIs. UNHCR is also
coordinating with Triangle and will provide assistance to 70 fire affected
families in Bindisi. So far, 210 Plastic mats, 38 kitchen sets and 34
plastic sheets were distributed to the IDPs through Triangle Bindisi.

Also In Mukjar, UNHCR distributed 60 kitchen sets, 27 items of women's
clothing, 62 plastic sheeting, 54 items of sanitary material, 56 jerry
cans, 173 plastic mats, 60 blankets and 60 buckets.

UNHCR, in collaboration with Mercy Corps (MC), distributed sanitary
materials to new female arrivals in Hassa Hissa IDP Camp. Two rolls of
material were distributed to all newly arrived women and girls under 49
years of age.

UNHCR has been working to fill gaps in the identification of extremely
vulnerable individuals (EVIs) in Habila's rural localities. The process is
now almost complete in all Habila/Forobaranga rural areas. EVIs will be
targeted for NFI distributions in 2008 in order to comply with UNJLC
demands and coverage.

Protection and Human Rights

West Darfur

On 31 March, UNHCR participated in a training workshop for UNAMID Civilian
Police (CivPol) officers engaged in community policing operations in IDPs
sites across West Darfur. At UNAMID's request, UNHCR coordinated and
delivered three sessions within the workshop program.

Two ceremonies were organised by UNHCR on 29 and 30 March, in Mornei and
Um Shalaya respectively, where items, including bicycles, torches,
batteries, whistles and walkie talkies were donated to the local police
services.

In El Geneina, UNHCR provided financial support to celebrate the occasion
of International Women's Day organized by the Wali's advisory in the
Ministry of Social Welfare.

UNHCR served as the focal point for International Women's Day celebrations
in Habila and worked closely with HAC to plan the event. Approximately 700
people participated in skits, singing, and dancing.

On 8 March, in Mornei and Um Shalaya, UNHCR and Save the Children-US
(SC-US) organized activities celebrating International Women's Day.

UNICEF, in partnership with UNHCR, conducted training sessions with 60
government and humanitarian workers in Mukjar and Garsila on psychosocial
support for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. The trainees
work at the community level in the rural areas of Mukjar, Bindisi, Um
Dukhum, Garsila, Um Kheir, Wadi Saleh and Deleij.

A supplementary one-day training course for government social workers
involved in case management and follow-up for the six children returned
from Chad - following an abduction attempt last year - was undertaken with
support from UNICEF.

Water and Sanitation

North Darfur

Oxfam community mobilisers and health committees made nearly 9,000 home
visits in the last two weeks in Abu Shouk IDP Camp. The visits educated
IDPs on solid waste disposal, proper handling of food and water, and
ensuring water storage containers are cleaned regularly.

The Oxfam teams in Abu Shouk and As Salaam IDP Camps are currently
constructing a series of new latrines and renovating existing ones.

There are now 763 Oxfam-constructed bathing units in the camps around
Shangil Tobayi, following a new construction campaign over recent weeks.

An ongoing hygiene promotion campaign, led by the SMoH with support from
UNICEF, reached 2,370 households in Abu Shouk IDP Camp, while jerry cans
were cleaned for some 10,740 residents. A similar campaign in Zam Zam IDP
Camp saw 1,600 households visited by hygiene promoters.

South Darfur

In Dar El Salam, West Alfania and Bduljabar, the State Water Corporation
(SWC) has been supported by UNICEF to construct four new water bladders,
while in Ed Daein the two partners have rehabilitated Shag Altoka and
Alhuda water yards.

As part of hygiene promotion efforts, the SWC and UNICEF have undertaken
two campaigns and 13 community meetings in Otash IDP Camp, reaching more
than 1,500 people. While in Ed Daein IDP Camp, 255 households received
supplies of soap.

West Darfur

Medair has completed an Emergency Water System based on a jetting approach
in Abu Suruj. This emergency system can serve approximately 2,800
individuals within Sphere standards (minimum standards for water,
sanitation and hygiene promotion in emergencies).

UNICEF supported the SWC to construct a new school latrine for 200
children and a latrine for the local health centre in Zalingei. Meanwhile,
more than 400 households in Dorti, Ardamata and Ryad IDP Camps were
reached with hygiene promotion messages during the week. In addition, five
hygiene promotion campaigns were conducted in the three 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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