EDITOR’S NOTE

I'm pleased to introduce the March issue of Voices of Darfur, which continues in the 32-page format, giving the magazine the ability to tell the story of UNAMID and the people of Darfur with more in-depth coverage. The current issue, like other recent issues of Voices, contains news, features and interviews not only about unique aspects of life in Darfur but also about UNAMID’s ongoing efforts to facilitate lasting peace in the region.

The roadmap aims to offer a coordinated plan for equitable and sustainable development, vital to move the region out of a cycle of conflict and poverty, towards a prosperous future.

Life-saving sectors like food security ($10 million), water and sanitation ($8.7 million) and health ($6.9 million) receive much of this initial funding.

In Sudan, over 1.8 million children aged 6-13 years old are out of school.

WHAT?

• Over 1.8 million school age children (56% of them girls) between six and thirteen years of age in Sudan are out of school.

• More than 165,000 children have had their education disrupted due to conflict in Blue Nile, South Kordofan and Abyei.

• 79.6% of nomadic children are out of school and need special education that responds to their mobile lifestyle.

Ten years ago, ACT Alliance and Caritas teamed up in Darfur to provide life-saving essentials, health care and education to hundreds of thousands of civilians fleeing violence. In the intervening years, the Norwegian Church Aid programme has not only continued helping hundreds of thousands to survive but also to improve their long-term quality of life, by promoting sustainable income-generation activities, as well as peace committees to heal strained relationships.

TINA ( 12 Mar .)

At least 203 Sudanese refugee students living in an eastern Chad camp have traveled to North Darfur to take their primary level exams, a teacher who accompanied them said, adding there are no examination centers in the camp.

Speaking to Radio Dabanga, Abdullah Abkar said pupils from camp Mile are taking the tests in Tina, where they were warmly received by the commissioner. He said that "due to eagerness for their education, parents of the students are paying for the transportation costs from Mile to Tina”.

ZALINGEI(6 Mar.) - Parents of pupils living in Zalingei displaced camps denounced a security committee’s decision stating students must take their examinations in centers located outside the camps.

There are several sites around the outskirts of Zalingei housing tens of thousands of people displaced by the conflict in Darfur. In previous years the ministry of education provided primary level examinations at these sites rather than in the city itself.

What is the history of the crisis?

In 2003, conflict between a range of rebel movements, government-backed militias and the Sudanese armed forces erupted in Sudan’s western region of Darfur. The conflict led to the mass displacement of people, widespread killing and the destruction of crops, herds and homes.

Initially the international community was slow to respond, but in March 2004 the UN Resident Coordinator in Sudan forced the situation to international attention by asserting that Darfur was “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.”

GENEINA - In an interview, Ibrahima Chalari, director of the Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), explains his organisation’s work in Dafur.

IRW is an international non-governmental organisation based in Birmingham, UK. It has been providing relief work in Sudan since 1991. Its activities cover the states of Blue Nile, North Kordofan, South Kordofan, West Darfur and Central Darfur.

IRW has been working in West Darfur since 2004 when the conflict broke out. The IRW Director, Ibrahima Chalari, spoke to The Niles about the organisation’s work and the major challenges it faces.