Sudan: Humanitarian Action in Darfur, weekly bulletin no. 40, 13 Nov 2008

Key overall developments

- The World Food Programme (WFP) food dispatches to Darfur are improving, with an average daily dispatch rate of 1,600 metric tons (MT) compared to 800 MT at the same period last month. This is partly due to improved trucking capacity with the re-opening of the southern corridor - El Obeid to Nyala via Ed Daein

- In November, some two (2) million beneficiaries will receive 70 percent of the planned food rations under the WFP General Food Distribution programme, while women and children supported through nutrition interventions and the Food for Education programme will receive full rations.

- On 30 October, the 2009 NFI Common Pipeline Common Appeal for Northern Sudan was launched. The US$16.47 million appeal supports the delivery of essential items to distribution points and includes US$8.97 million for UNICEF for procurement, US$4 million for CARE for transport and warehousing, and US$3.50 million for the United Nations Joint Logistic Center (UNJLC) for coordination and management. Capitalizing on the cost benefit of UNICEF's global sourcing operation requires lead times of four (4) to five (5) months from the date funds are received to arrival of stocks in warehouse hubs in Sudan. As a result, early funding is crucial to the operation of the NFI Common Pipeline. Sixty percent of the required funding must be secured by January 2009 in order to support rainy season distributions, with the balance of funds secured by May 2009 to ensure positioning of stocks to support winterization distributions.

Needs and response by sector

Education

North Darfur

- With UNICEF support, the State Ministry of Education (SMoE) girls' education department started the training 160 women volunteers at locality levels. The purpose of the training is to assist the 15 girls' education focal persons who have already been trained to address girls' education issues in collaboration with the authorities, the community and the SMoE. The trained women volunteers will help mothers to improve knowledge and skills on gender issues, including female genital mutilation (FGM) prevention, and follow up on forming girls' education movement (GEM) clubs to promote girls participation and empowerment.

- The SMoE - with UNICEF support - conducted four (4) community mobilization awareness sessions in the low enrolment localities of El Kuma, Saraf Omra, and El Serif, to increase girls' enrolment and continuation in the education system. Additionally, UNICEF released 61 recreation kits, 607 pens, 182 textbooks and 2,027 plastic sleeping mats benefiting 3,500 school age children (50% girls).

South Darfur

- With UNICEF support Samariatans Purse completed eight (8) temporary classrooms built in Um Tirtir benefiting 650 pupils. A further 635 children will benefit from having eight (8) newly rehabilitated classrooms. Humedica - also with UNICEF support - completed the rehabilitation of 12 classrooms in Al Serif Mixed school (benefiting 1,154 pupils); the construction of Al Serif kindergarten groups activity room; rehabilitation of 12 classrooms in Al Salam Boys' school (benefiting 2,223 pupils) and the rehabilitation of six (6) classrooms in .Al Salam Girls' school (benefiting 1,386 pupils). Humedica also completed the construction of six (6) classrooms in Al Najah IDPs Girls' school (benefiting 490 pupils) and the construction of a school theatre in AL Zahraa IDPs Mixed School.

Food Security and Livelihoods

North Darfur

- Inter-agency verification exercises are ongoing in Shangil Tobayi, Shadad and Kassab IDP Camps for unregistered beneficiaries under the emergency caseloads.

- WFP food dispatches were completed to schools participating in the food for education programme in rural Kabkabiya during the week.

South Darfur

- Approximately 7,500 newly displaced persons have arrived in Al Salam IDP Camp since October. Of these displaced, 4,050 have received food support in October, while some 2,600 were recently verified for assistance. A further 830 are yet to be verified. WFP and World Vision are carrying out verifications and registrations prior to inclusion in the general caseload.

- WFP and Solidarite are reviewing assistance plans for re-displaced households following renewed fighting in Muhajeria in October. The findings of an ongoing assessment are expected next week and will provide details on the urgent needs of those affected.

- On 8 November, a joint WFP and Sudanese Popular Committee for Relief and Rehabilitation (SPCR) assessment mission was carried out in Elbanjedid with the objective of assessing the food needs of IDPs and host populations of the area and to determine the possibility of implementing early-recovery projects.

West Darfur

- At the Mercy Corps Um Dukhun livelihoods centre, ten (10) women participated in tailoring training and ten (10) men began carpentry training.

- Mercy Corps Mukjar office finalized the cultivation and planting of onions for seed multiplication. Eighty three (83) people - of whom 24 were female - visited the demonstration farm.

- Verifications of 395 new arrivals to Armankol are ongoing, and they will be included in the general food distribution caseload once verifications are completed. Meanwhile in Mornei, an additional 42 IDPs from Habila and Surtan were added to the caseload.

Health and Nutrition

South Darfur

- With UNICEF support, one hundred and seven (107) midwives graduated from Nyala midwifery school.

- UNICEF and the Sudanese Popular Committee for Relief and Rehabilitation (SPCR) also facilitated a five-day peer education training course for 40 youth from seven (7) IDP camp on HIV/AIDS messages.

West Darfur

- UNHCR in Mornei has been assisting the refugee patients referred from Um Shalaya to Mornei and El Geneina with cash for transportation and food. In total, nine (9) patients were referred to El Geneina while 15 were treated locally in Mornei.

- Upon notification by the International Medical Corps (IMC) about a campaign to support the treatment of obstetric fistula through reconstructive surgery in Zalingei. UNHCR in Mukjar commenced the registration of women in need of treatment.

- The preliminary results of the Polio National Immunization Days (PNIDs) campaign - supported by UNICEF - on the 27 to 29 October was shared by the State Ministry of Health (SMoH). The overall state coverage for polio vaccine was 90% - 292,543 for children under 5 years. For vitamin A supplementation the coverage was 89.1% - 261,592 children in the age group between six (6) months and five (5) years. The areas of Jebel Moon and parts of Jebel Marra amongst other areas were not reached during this campaign.

Non-Food Items (NFIs)

North Darfur

- WFP dispatched about 2,200 NFIs - including scales, water containers, cooking pots, water jerry cans, dishes, cups, sieves, knives - to Serif Bin Hussein and Saraf Omra.

South Darfur

- This week in Al Salam IDP Camp, Humedica supported 656 newly-displaced households with non-food items from the NFI Common Pipeline, including blankets, cooking sets, jerry cans, plastic sheeting, and plastic sleeping mats.

West Darfur

- Sanitary kits are being distributed to Zalingei camps by UNHCR - in collaboration with field staff of Mercy Corps.

- In response to a fire incident in the Jebel sector of Mornei camp that affected six (6) families on October 27, UNHCR, CONCERN, and Help Age International (HA) coordinated to assist the families affected by the fire.

- UNHCR El Geneina participated in a targeted NFI assessment at Krinding II IDP Camp on 26 October. Arrangements are underway to distribute NFIs to the identified households.

- A total of 1,354 pieces of sanitary materials were distributed by Save the Children-US (SCUS) and UNHCR El Geneina to IDP women and girls of reproductive age.

- UNHCR in Habila assisted an IDP family at Habila town, whose three (3) shelters were destroyed by fire, with plastic sheets; jerry cans; two (2) plastic mats; two (2) blankets, women clothes, and two (2) sanitary cloths.

- During the last two weeks, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) replenished 400 households in Armankul (El Geneina) with plastic sleeping mats and women's clothing from the NFI Common Pipeline in preparation for the winterization period.

- Common pipeline NFIs were supplied to replenish 686 households with NFIs for the winterization period in Krinding 2 IDP Camp, El Geneina. Distributions were done by Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW).

- Helpage replenished 1,966 households with elderly in Ardamata, Krenik, El Geneina, Dorti Riyad, Mornei and Sisi IDP Camps in El Geneina and 234 households with elderly in Habila IDP Camp. Blankets, plastic sleeping mats and clothing were received by all beneficiaries.

- Following fires, Save the Children-US supported 12 households in Krinding 1 IDP Camp and the NGO Terre des Hommes (TDH) supported 13 households in Riyad IDP Camp. Both distributions were from the common pipeline stocks.

- The NFI common pipeline supplied sanitary material and women's clothing to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Medair to support health projects in the Zalingei and El Geneina localities.

Protection and Human Rights

North Darfur

- UNICEF facilitated a presentation to 30 government officials - at a UNAMID led workshop - on Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) legislation; the impact of recruitment on children; and the national reintegration strategy.

- Key Child Protection partners -including UNICEF - participated in the demobilization and reunification of two (2) children associated with armed forces and groups (CAAFG) who were associated with the attack on Omdurman.

South Darfur

- UNICEF child protection facilitated a training on the convention on the rights of the child (CRC) and child protection issues for 33 Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) commanders in Gereida. The participants emphasized on their commitment to the CRC gave assurances that they would work to impart such knowledge to the entire community. UNICEF also conducted psychosocial training in Gereida for 15 Children Development Foundation (CDF) social animators working with children.

West Darfur

- UNHCR in El Geneina - in collaboration with UNAMID gender-based violence (GBV) unit - trained 41 IDP sheikhs on the basic concept of sexual gender-based violence (SGBV) in Al Riyadh IDP Camp. They also trained 28 Government of Sudan (GoS) police officers and government officials on GBV guiding principles and referral pathways.

- In Habila, fuel efficient stove (FES) training was arranged by INTERSoS and is ongoing at towns and villages. It is also aimed at increasing the awareness of participants to report and respond positively to GBV cases in the communities.

- UNICEF and other child protection partners facilitated the return to West Darfur of thirty two (32) children who were detained in Khartoum after being associated with the Omdurman attack.

Water and Sanitation

West Darfur

- Mercy Corps in Mukjar cleaned nine (9) water point areas and two (2) hand-dug wells, conducted water tests for ten households, and visited 25 households to score a hygiene block competition. Key messages on safe food handling and preparation were delivered to 887 households and 5,315 household members.

- Mercy Corps in Zalingei organized and held a successful hygiene promotion campaign in Shabab IDP Camp attracting over 1,000 IDPs (men, women and children).

- Mercy Corps in Um Dukhun dug one (1) hand-dug well, established three (3) water supply networks, and put in place two (2) drainage systems, which pumped 2,000m3 of water during the week.

- UNICEF and the State Water Corporation/Water, environment and Sanitation (SWC/WES) team reached 452 households in El Riyad, Dorti and Ardamata IDP Camps with personal hygiene promotion messages.

- UNICEF and WES provided 7,490 children in health clubs with personal hygiene messages focusing on hand washing building upon the momentum of global hand washing day - in Ardamata IDP Camp 2,500 children; in Dorti IDP Camp 2,510 children; and in Krinding I IDP camps 2,380 children.

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