Location: Darfur - Deribat and Nyala Regions

Situation:

Darfur, in West Sudan has faced numerous conflicts since April 2003. The ensuing humanitarian emergency in the region is affecting more than 3.5 million people, including more than 2 million internally displaced people.  There are approximately 220,000 refugees in eastern Chad and more than 200,000 poeple have died. In this context, humanitarian interventions have suffered many logistical and security constraints.

Regarding the medical situation, a number of dedicated medical staff have continued the work Unicef started up in 1997.  The distribution of drugs has been difficult especially since there is limited commercial traffic in and out of the valleys.  Medicines are generally not available or cost a lot to buy in the pharmacies.

The main illnesses are: Diarrhoea, Malnutrition, Maternal and Infant-related morbid-mortality, Malaria, Acute Respiratory Infections. Pregnant women, young mothers and their newborn babies are a medical priority. Having been identified as a problem in Darfur in general; the referral options in these valleys are virtually non-existent.

Activities:

•    Reinforce primary health care services for the population, covered by six health care centres: 2 clinics and 4 health’s post (respectively Deribat, Jawa, Suni, Dera, Keba, Soro) with focus on:

- Improving maternal and children health
- Treating severely malnourished children under the age of 5
- Preventing and treating common illnesses
- Supporting transfer to secondary care when required
- Surveillance of illnesses that could lead to epidemics

•    Implement a global and integrated evaluation of the population's needs and highlight the existence of any human rights abuses that might be taking place.

Outlook:

The objective of the project is to participate in the improvement of healthcare services in the Deribat region and improve the local population's ability to maintain its own healthcare.

Start date: February 2008

End date: On-going