Photos by Paul Jeffrey, ACT

Since the launch of the program in June 2004, Action by Churches Togther (ACT) International and Caritas Internationalis have been working together to assist more than 250,000 people in South and West Darfur. The ACT-Caritas Darfur response represents the vast majority of the world’s Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox churches.

ACT-Caritas has been able to reach out across Darfurian society, working with women and men, settled communities, nomads, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and both official and traditional governance structures. Not only is the program focused on responding to urgent needs, but equally upon building the capacity of the three national member and partner organizations: Sudanaid, Sudan Social Development Organization (SUDO) and the Sudan Council of Churches (SCC). The ACT and Caritas networks provide support, resources and funds through the lead ACT member for the response, Norwegian Church Aid (NCA), which is the legal representative within the country of Sudan.

Milestones January - March 2008

Emergency, Preparedness and Response Unit (EPRU)

• Needs assessments were carried out in a variety of locations in South and West Darfur involving new arrivals, returnees, vulnerable host communities and previously displaced IDPs who have previously received assistance but are now in need of replacement items.
• ACT-Caritas has distributed essential household items and hygiene kits to more than 12,700 newly displaced persons, returnees and vulnerable families in 15 locations in South and West Darfur. Items distributed include blankets, cooking sets, plastic sheets, plastic mats, jerry cans, mosquito nets and soap.
• Through an EPRU rapid response fund, the program has supported partners to carry out rapid responses to newly emerging needs, such as creation of a new temporary Community Center in Labado with facilities to train the increasing numbers of IDPs in income-generating activities.

Water and Sanitation

• 18 new boreholes were successfully drilled in Zalingei and Garsila, West Darfur, to provide IDPs and host communities with access to clean and safe water and to reduce the distance that women have to walk from their homes to collect water.
• 106 hand pumps were maintained, repaired and rehabilitated, mainly by community-based hand pump mechanics who have been trained by the program (spare parts and back-up support were also provided by ACT-Caritas.)
• 160 members of 40 water committees in Kubum, South Darfur, were trained on the basics of community water point management such as tariff collection, records keeping and conflict resolution.
• 30 water committees were also trained in Garsila along with five in Zalingei, West Darfur.
• 189 cleaning campaigns were undertaken at IDP camps to improve hygiene conditions and the general living environment, including campaigns to clean water resources at various locations in South and West Darfur.
• 16,685 households received home visits by hygiene promotion volunteers who were able to monitor hygiene conditions and carry out household-to-household hygiene education.
• 3,825 latrines were rehabilitated in IDP camps, giving households access to safe and hygienic sanitary facilities with sensitization on the use and cleaning of latrines.

Health and Nutrition

• Primary health clinics carried out 42,768 medical consultations and treated 49,799 cases of illness in South and West Darfur.
• More than 21,150 individuals received health, hygiene and midwife messages on exclusive breast feeding, acute respiratory infections, causes and prevention of malaria, water borne diseases, HIV and AIDS, the importance of antenatal and postnatal visits, care of the newborn, the dangers of measles and the importance of childhood vaccinations, breast feeding and care of sick children.
• The supplementary feeding program, which targets malnourished children under five years of age, and pregnant and lactating women, has provided rations to 8,768 beneficiaries.
• More than 120 nutrition workers, monitors and nurses in Zalingei and Garsila, West Darfur, were trained in malnutrition causes, management and prevention, supplementary feeding program data collection and reporting and how to effectively share health education messages.
• In addition ACT-Caritas has also provided training for 14 doctors and 12 nurses and nutrition workers from the State Ministry of Health in Nyala, South Darfur in the management of severe malnutrition.
• 4,710 community members received nutrition and preventative healthcare messages which focused especially on hand washing, food and water hygiene, the importance of breast feeding, ante natal care and vaccinations, prevention of malaria and diarrhea and storage of drinking water.

Protection, Psychosocial and Peacebuilding (PPP)

• Nine community centers continue to be open and used as safe spaces where community members can meet, learn new skills and receive training, awareness raising and counseling.
• Close to 3,910 persons took part in a variety of daily programs including income generating activities, adult education and the provision of child friendly spaces.
• 123 key stakeholders in West Darfur received awareness raising training on basic human rights principles.
• A group of 118 members of center committees have received training on management skills, which will prepare them to take over more responsibilities in the center and work towards managing the center independently.
• A total of 300 IDPs attended awareness raising sessions on psychosocial support, protection, HIV and AIDS and gender based violence.
• Eight sports teams for peace building were formed between the IDPs and local community in Garsila, West Darfur, involving 400 youth to build stronger bridges between the two communities.
• Sports teams including football and volleyball were provided with sports equipment.
• Six gala activities were organized, consisting of drama and cultural events for internally displaced persons and host communities, with some 1,500 participants.
• Support for youth peace activities in six peace clubs has continued and involved 1,800 young people.

School Support

• ACT-Caritas has finished construction of permanent buildings for Taiba Host Community School in Nyala and Um Gozein IDP School in Mershing, South Darfur.
• Sudanaid, one of ACT-Caritas’ national members, constructed 16 temporary classrooms, five permanent classrooms and some offices in three schools for IDPs in South Darfur.
• ACT-Caritas distributed school kits to more than 2,830 children at four IDP schools in South Darfur in order for students to stay in school and to encourage other children to enroll for school.
• Distributed kits included cloth bags with exercise books, pencils, pencil sharpeners, erasers, pencil cases and mathematical instruments.

Agriculture

During this first quarter, an assessment to identify persons in need of agricultural inputs was carried out; distribution of seeds and tools for the rainy season will take place in May.

Midwives equipped for safe delivery

In February and March, 125 midwives and traditional birth attendants from across South and West Darfur attended five-day refresher training courses held by the State Ministry of Health and funded by ACT-Caritas in Nyala and Zalingei. Topics focused especially on changing harmful traditional practices, care for women before and after delivery and the need for urgent referrals in complicated cases. Participants were also provided with a range of basic essential equipment including scissors, clean cloths, buckets and soap to support safe delivery. These midwives and birth attendants went home to their communities better able to support women to give birth safely.