ACT/CARITAS Darfur APPEAL

NCA and Partners' Darfur Programme

ACT No: AFSD91 - CARITAS No: EA-41-2008

Appeal Request: US$ 10,909,116

16th December, 2008

Appeal History

When challenged to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs of the displaced and host communities in Darfur in 2004, the ACT Alliance and Caritas Internationalis Confederation agreed to cooperate in a joint emergency response under the auspices of Norwegian Church Aid in the Sudan. Through their willingness to share resources and work together under a single management structure, the churches have been able to demonstrate a unity of purpose through practical action. With support from 60 member organisations, the programme has already been sustained for more than four years and has therefore become a chronic emergency. It is one of the largest humanitarian programmes in South and West Darfur and is recognised by the UN and other observers as an important element in the international relief programme.

The conflict between armed movements in Darfur and the central government in Khartoum has now developed into a far more complex situation. The rebel groups have fragmented, and inter-tribal conflict has increased, with each group seeking to seize and holding their own territory. The lack of security in rural areas has lead to widespread banditry, making road travel precarious in many parts of Darfur. The violence in Darfur has had a spill over effects into Chad, which is also facing it`s internal conflicts which also has a regional dimension to it. The hybrid UN/Africa Union Mission (UNAMID) was inaugurated at the start of 2008 but the force has not been built up to its planned strength of 26,000 troops and lacks logistical capacity. The Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court presented an application for the indictment of President Bashir in July 2008 and the judges' decision on this is expected early in 2009. There are concerns that their decision might have some implications on the relationship between the Sudanese government and the international community.

The humanitarian situation continues to be alarming with 290,000 newly-displaced during the first 9 months of 2008. This brings the total number of IDPs up to 2.69 million and the total number affected (including host communities) to 4.72 million. Access to the affected population has become more and more restricted due to the lack of security. Attacks on humanitarian workers and their accommodation increased, and the hijacking of vehicles has continued. The security situation does not favour the return of displaced people to their former settlements, hence the need for a sustained humanitarian response for 2009 and beyond. Interruptions to the food aid pipeline lead to a reduction in the WFP's general ration to 65%. In common with most NGOs' current practice, NCA has parked its vehicles in secure premises and uses unmarked local vehicles for communications etc.

Appeal 2008 Programme

2008 was a tumultuous year for the programme. The Government's Humanitarian Aid Commission conducted an examination of the NCA Darfur Programme and questioned the legality of the term DERO (Darfur Emergency Response Operation). For months, visas for international staff were not renewed, staff travel was restricted, and a number of international staff had to leave the programme all which negatively impacted on the implementation of the programme. Through negotiation between HAC and NCA, involving NCA Head office, all critical issues were resolved. It was concluded that the Darfur Programme would be integrated fully into NCA's management and accountability structures and that the term DERO should be rephrased NCA Darfur Programme. This move also entailed various changes to the governance and management structures. A new memorandum of understanding was drawn up separating in-country coordination and international governance. At the country level a new National Coordination Group (NCG) was established, comprising of all four implementing partners. At the international governance level a new Compliance, Support and Advisory Group (CSA) was set up to ensure that the Programme complies with the policies and standards of ACT and Caritas and in its use of funds from these donors. This group comprises of a representatives of each of the two networks (ACT and Caritas) and from each of the two lead international agencies (NCA and Cafod). The details of the new management and governance structures are outlined in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) ratified at the Board meeting in September 2008. This MOU is attached. The new arrangements present visibility issues for Caritas and a task for the CSA group in early 2009 is to examine how communications and visibility issues can be effectively addressed.

Appeal 2009

The draft appeal was reviewed and approved by the Board and by the new CSA group at their four day meeting in London from 1-4 December 2008.

The 2009 programme will continue to operate in all key sectors and as a part of quality control measures there will be independent evaluations of three sectors: health and nutrition, water and sanitation, and peace-building, psycho-social and protection.

The CSA Group will undertake a mid-year review of the appeal in July 2009 which will examine the performance of all four implementing partners and will make recommendations on the programme for the remainder of 2009 and its future in 2010.

Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) is the legally registered entity in Sudan for the combined NCA and Partners Programme. NCA is also the lead agency for the ACT Alliance. The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) acts as the facilitating agency for the Caritas Federation in Sudan. The NCA Component is the implementation structure which works in parallel with the three national members, and provides technical and capacity-building support: The Sudan Council of Churches (SCC), Sudan Aid (Caritas in Sudan) and the Sudan Social Development Organisation (SUDO).

Project Completion Date: 31 December 2009.

Summary of Appeal Targets, Pledges/Contributions Received and Balance Requested (US$):

Total Appeal Target: 11,809,116

Less: Pledges/Contributions Received (carried forward from 2008): 900,000

Balance Requested from ACT & Caritas Alliance: 10,909,116

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FOR THE FULL APPEAL TEXT, BUDGET AND INFORMATION CONCERNING CONTRIBUTIONS TO ACT OR CARITAS (PDF FILE), KINDLY VISIT EITHER ONE OF THE TWO SITES:

ACT International: http://www.act-intl.org

CARITAS Internationalis: http://www.caritas.org

THANK YOU. __________________________________________________________________________________

Signed by:

John Nduna, Director, ACT International

Lesley-Anne Knight, Secretary General, Caritas Internationalis