January 11, 2008

The humanitarian crisis in the western Sudanese region of Darfur is now entering its fifth year -- becoming, in effect, a "chronic" emergency. The United Nations estimates that more than 200,000 people have been killed or died due to malnutrition and other causes attributed to the humanitarian crisis; more than 2.2 million have been driven from their homes to live in camps, and nearly 4 million are dependent on food aid. The violence has spread across the border to Chad and the risk of a regional conflict is still ever-present.

A joint United Nations / African Union hybrid force for Darfur begins work this year in an attempt to quell the violence and establish the conditions for a return to peace. The initial hopes for this mission have given way to a more pessimistic analysis of its chances of success as the financial, logistical and bureaucratic obstacles in its path look formidable. It may take a considerable time for the force to reach its full complement of 26,000 troops.

The year 2007 proved pivotal in the crisis, with large increases in the numbers of attacks on aid workers, as well as opportunistic looting of aid vehicles and stores. The year also saw further displacements of people from their home areas into camps for the displaced. The situation inside the camps has become very difficult, with the population there increasingly militant and disaffected after years of confinement and disempowerment. Yet the security situation does not yet auger well for the return of displaced people to their former settlements -- which is why there is a need for a sustained humanitarian response for 2008 and beyond.

RESPONSE: Church World Service is among 60-member organizations supporting a joint emergency operation in Darfur by the Action by Churches Together (ACT) International alliance and the Caritas Internationalis Confederation.

Organized in 2004, the ACT/Caritas Darfur Emergency Response Operation (DERO) program has become one of the largest humanitarian programs in South and West Darfur and is recognized by the United Nations and other observers as an important component in the international relief response, with significant roots in local community structures. CWS partner Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) provides the legal basis for the operation in Darfur as well as taking lead responsibility for procurement and financial management on behalf of the ACT/Caritas program in Darfur.

As 2008 begins, DERO recognizes that the humanitarian situation in Darfur continues to demand an emergency response. As such, DERO has made plans to strengthen its response capacity and to build flexibility into its program to enable it to adapt to expected changing circumstances during the coming year. Among the plans are developing the capacity of Sudanese partners so that they can take a stronger role in the management of the DERO program in coming years. Local Sudanese partners working as part of DERO include the Sudan Council of Churches (SCC), the Sudan Social Development Organization (SUDO) and Sudanaid (Caritas Sudan).

The CWS-supported program in Darfur is operational in six sectors and has assisted the following number of direct beneficiaries: water and sanitation (233,886); health and nutrition (272,520); emergency preparedness and response (150,000); protection, psychosocial and peace-building (82,295); agriculture (8,250); and school support (27,240). (It is difficult to calculate the overall number of direct beneficiaries without counting individuals more than once as they benefit from more than one sector of DERO's work.)

In 2008, the activities will be concentrated largely around Nyala (SUDO, Sudanaid, and SCC), Zalingei (ACT/Caritas and SUDO), Garsila (ACT/Caritas) and El Dhein (SUDO, Sudanaid). The level of activities will remain similar to that of 2007.

However, this year CWS-supported work will include a focus on several areas of concern. These include:

Increasing awareness as well as reducing the impact of HIV/AIDS among the communities of displaced and the communities hosting the displaced.

Increasing the role of women and heightening awareness of the issue of gender in humanitarian response, given that women face increased burdens as heads of household, have difficulty accessing healthcare and education, and find few economic opportunities. The involvement of women in the programs is critical to achieving a full understanding of their experiences and particular needs, and ensuring that the programs are able to address the needs of the majority of beneficiaries. (In addition to the burdens they face as displaced persons, rape and sexual violence are a widespread result of the overall conflict and violence. Attacks of women within the camps generally occur when women and girls leave the relative safety of the camps to gather firewood, food and fodder. The camps rarely provide sufficient security to protect women and have insufficient services for survivors of sexual violence.)

Increasing awareness of environmental concerns in Darfur, given that DERO is becoming increasingly aware of the need to monitor the quantities of ground water used at large internally displaced persons (IDP) settlements and to monitor the level of the water table, in order to ensure that water resources are not being unacceptably depleted in a local context. This year DERO plans to enhance is commitment to this activity by training its staff to measure and record ground water levels and by participating in inter-agency ground water monitoring studies. There is an increase in pressure for natural resources, particularly in and around IDP camps, as these areas are increasingly being cleared of firewood. Due to this deforestation one of the activities in the agriculture program will involve the planting of 80,000 trees in and around the camps. The DERO partners will consider in all instances activities that minimize negative impacts on the environment, for example in positioning of boreholes, latrines, and other infrastructure. infrastructure.

Increasing concern over community empowerment, given that community empowerment is essential for sustainable development, operation, and maintenance of all program activities. Through the DERO program, great emphasis continues to be placed on community participation. Community members (men, women, boys and girls) are involved in water-point management, nutrition centers, environmental health, healthcare and other program aspects. A final priority: peace building, with staff being trained in "local capacities for peace" principles to incorporate peace through conflict sensitive programming.

Contributions to support this emergency appeal may be made online, sent to your denomination, or to: Church World Service, Appeal - Account #641-Y, (2008 Darfur Humanitarian Response), P.O. Box 968 Elkhart, IN 46515.

Contributions may also be made by calling: (800) 297-1516, ext. 222

Media Contact: Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676; lcrosson@churchworldservice.org Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526; jdragin@gis.net