Sudan: Drought Appeal No. 17/03 Operations Update No. 02

Appeal launched on 1 July 2003 for CHF 1, 159, 000 (USD 852, 000 or EUR 746,116) for 12 months for 106, 500 beneficiaries. Disaster Relief Emergency Funds (DREF) allocated: N/A
Period covered: September to October 2003

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In Brief

Appeal coverage: 52.2 %; <Contributions Status Report attached>. See also the Contributions List on the Federation's website for details.

Outstanding needs: CHF 553,649 (USD 415,800 or EUR 356,400)

Related Emergency or Annual Appeals:

• Sudan 2003 Annual Appeal no. 01.10/2003
• Sudan: Floods in Kassala state; Emergency Appeal no. 19/2003

Operational Summary: The drought emergency appeal was launched in July 2003 in response to five years of successive drought in the Red Sea state. The Sudanese Red Crescent and the Federation carried out a joint assessment mission to determine the nature and scope of Red Cross and Red Crescent to establish some areas which need immediate intervention. The mission identified such areas as; food, shelter, water and outreach health services - priority humanitarian needs. Strengthening the capacity of the national society to reduce risks and mitigate disasters in the longer term was highlighted. Six months later, since the launch of the appeal, there is still a high level of wasting and malnutrition, especially in the remote areas in Sinkat and Halayeb Provinces. Cycle two of food distribution started in mid October and will be completed in the third week of November; WFP is experiencing shortages of food supply and only half rations have been distributed both in the first cycle in July and the second cycle ongoing presently.

Operational developments

The number of internally displaced persons (IDP) has increased from 15,000 registered in 2001 to 17,100. The national society is currently undertaking a re-registration exercise to identify the most vulnerable. Inadequate water supply is still a major problem since most of the water points have little or no water, especially in Western and Eastern Sinkat.

Red Cross and Red Crescent action - objectives, progress, impact

Objective 1: To distribute food items to 106,500 beneficiaries for a period of over six months .

The first cycle of food distribution was carried out Halayeb provinces from 14 to 22 September for 17,000 beneficiaries while the second cycle food distribution in Sinkat province for 87,000 beneficiaries, including 15,000 IDP, started on 20 October and will end on 15 November 2003. WFP provided 995.4Mt of mixed food commodities for the distribution which was carried out by the Red Sea state Brach local relief committees using five branch vehicles. This exercise was supervised by the Sudanese Red Crescent's Disaster Preparedness Officer and four field officers. Only half rations were distributed during the exercise as outlined below:

Impact

Although only half of the rations were distributed, the food to some extent met the very basic needs of beneficiaries. To a small extent, it helped stabilize the market prices, control malnutrition and the depletion of productive assets.

Constraints

Due to limited availability of food supplies from WFP, only 50% of the food requirements were met in both first and second cycle distributions. There will be no other food distribution this year although food still remains inadequate; the beneficiaries especially women and children are still malnourished and wasted. The population has made efforts to cultivate small farms of sorghum during the summer rains; however, the young crops are poor and stunted from the poor and erratic rains and it is unlikely that good yields will be realized.

Objective 2: To distribute non-food items (cooking utensils , blankets, shelter materials) to 15,000 beneficiaries.

Through a donation by the Danish Red Cross, poles and mats have been purchased to shelters 15,000 IDP in Sinkat Province. These items are now being delivered to selected delivery points and will be distributed before the end of November 2003. No funds have been secured to purchase blankets and cooking pans which are also part of the immediate needs.

Impact

The distribution of the sheltering material will protect the benefic iaries from the dust storms, and cold nights as well as reduce incidences of respiratory track diseases among children and elderly people which are being reported by the local health authorities to be on the increase.

Constraints

Delay in funding has hampered efficient response to the needs of the most vulnerable leading to an increase in vulnerability. No funds have been secured for blankets and cooking pans. The IDP continue to live the open and are exposed to frequent dust storms, high temperatures during the day and cold nights, and also lack basic household items.

Objective 3: To construct/rehabilitate selected water points

Funding from German Red Cross in the second week of October facilitated the survey of 45 water points in Western and Eastern Sinkat Province from which a priority list was drawn. Ten traditional wells on this list are currently undergoing rehabilitation and protection while discussions are ongoing with a local company over the drilling of 15 bore holes. Materials and tools for rehabilitation and protection of selected water points have been distributed to water management committees; the training of the committees is going on, and the community participation is very encouraging.

Impact

Inadequate water supply in Sinkat rural is a major problem and there is a high prevalence of waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea in some localities. Two communities provided with digging tools for the rehabilitation/protection of water point have completed the task and now have water.

Constraints

The funds received from the German government will cover only 60% of the planned activities, while the needs are even greater than before the assessment. Further funding will be required to drill 10 new wells and rehabilitate/protect 30 more traditional wells

Objective 4: To increase the access of 89,000 highly vulnerable people in Sinkat Province to outreach health services.

There has been no progress towards improving the health of the vulnerable population as no funds have been secured to implement the planned activities under this objective. The local health authorities have reported an increase in cases of diarrhea, malaria and acute respiratory infection; 12 malaria related deaths have been reported in seven localities in West Sinkat. A proposal on reproductive health services is almost complete and will be presented to UNFPA for possible funding.

Impact

The health situation continues to deteriorate especially in the remote rural areas of North and West Sinkat, and West Derudeb.

Constraints

With no health centres in most of these places, the communities are in desperate need of health services. Most of the sick can barely survive the long donkey rides to Sinkat Hospital hence posing a risk of fatalities. Although the national society reported the malaria cases to the Ministry of Health, their response has been very slow.

Objective 5: To increase the capacity of the Sudanese Red Crescent Society Disaster Preparedness, Response and Risk Reduction for the community affected by chronic food insecurity.

Two vehicles of the Red Sea Branch to be used in the operation are undergoing major repairs while a one new vehicle has been purchased to support the programme. The office generator is under major repair , and telecom equipment and one computer have been ordered for the office. Two additional staff, a Relief Co-ordinator and a WatSan Officer, have been recruited at the headquarters and branch respectively to support the operation; four staff have also been seconded from other projects to run the drought operation.

Impact

The staff and volunteers are effectively involved the implementation of various activities using their long experience in disaster response and previous training in various disciplines. Volunteer teams have been deployed for the two cycles of food distribution, the re-registration and verification of IDP, in assisting WFP during its annual needs assessment, and in the construction and protection of traditional water wells.

Federation co-ordination

The programme is being supported by the Drought Program Co-ordinator based in Port Sudan and the Country and Regional Delegations. There is continuous support from the Regional Disaster Preparedness and the Regional Health and Care delegates. The Country Representative and the Secretary General of the Sudanese Red Crescent made a three day support visit to the operation, while the Regional WatSan Officer provided technical support during the survey of the water point in Sinkat province.

National Society Capacity Building

The Sudanese Red Crescent has 21 state branches and a number of sub branches with a wide network of volunteers throughout the country. There are about 20,000 active volunteers who can be deployed at any time to respond to disasters.

Red state branch has four offices in Sinkat locality with 14,000 registered volunteers out of which 5, 000 have been involved in various relief activities such as: food distribution, hygiene promotion, immunisation activities, registration and verification exercise. They have also been providing support to the beneficiaries in various activities like shelter construction, and well rehabilitation and protection. The volunteers are also working in projects funded by the Danish and Norwegian Red Cross Societies including water and sanitation activities, women projects, community development projects, supporting health centre among other things. They are also involved training and dissemination on the Movement in the communities and schools around the Red Sea state

Communications - Advocacy and Public Information

The Red Sea state branch and the Federation Representative participate in inter agency co-ordination meetings where pertinent humanitarian issues in the state are discussed with other NGO, and government authorities. Good contact is also maintained with the local media. Being the lead agency in this operation, the Sudanese Red Crescent enjoys enormous community and government support. Information on the operation is constantly being produced and disseminated through regular operations updates in the federation web site and in biweekly reports of the regional delegation.

For further information please contact:

The Sudanese Red Crescent, Khartoum; Email; srcs@sudanet.org; Phone 249 11 78 48 89; Fax 249 11 77 28 77

Omer Osman Mahamoud, Secretary General, Sudanese Red Crescent Society, Khartoum; Email omer.osman@srcs-sudan.org; Phone 249 11 784889, Fax 249 11 772877

Ken Baker, Federation Head of Sudan Delegation, Khartoum; Email: ifrcsd02@ifrc.org; Phone 249 11 277 10 33, Fax 249 11 277 04 84

Josse Gillijns, Federation Regional Officer, Geneva; Email: josse.gillijns@ifrc.org; Phone 41 22 730 42 24, Fax 41 22 733 03 95

All International Federation assistance seeks to adhere to the Code of Conduct and is committed to the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response (SPHERE Project) in delivering assistance to the most vulnerable.

For support to or for further information concerning Federation programmes or operations in this or other countries, please access the Federation website at http://www.ifrc.org

Annex 1