Category Archives: Darfur

by nickharrop | October 24, 2012 · 8:44 am

Fifty years of responding to emergencies: Darfur, 2003 onwards

In the third of five blogs about how we’ve responded to emergencies over the last 50 years, Mike Noyes, our Head of Humanitarian Programmes, reflects on the ongoing crisis in Darfur.

In 2003, conflict between a range of rival rebel movements, government-backed militias and the Sudanese armed forces grew into a major humanitarian emergency in the Darfur region of Sudan. There was widespread killing and the destruction of crops, herds and homes. Over two and half million people have been forced from their homes by the conflict, some several times. Since then, the conflict has ebbed and flowed but the prospects for a permanent peace remain bleak.

Working in partnership with other agencies has never been more crucial for us than in our response to the crisis in Darfur. Continue reading →

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Tagged as act, CAFOD, cafod50, Caritas, conflict, Darfur, emergencies, mike noyes, MikeN, Sudan

by hmoriarty | March 20, 2012 · 2:39 pm

Darfur’s Solar Powers…

Water attendant Adam feeding the Solar Water point at Deleij camp in Darfur

Hazel Williams is our humanitarian coordinator for Darfur in western Sudan. She recently paid a visit to some of the many camps that house people who have fled fighting in the region.

Solar power is making an extraordinary difference in camps in Darfur, Sudan, by providing much needed water to those living there.

Continue reading →

Darfur: The clinic that began in a church

The sun is already high above me when I arrive in central Nyala to interview Sister Pierra Santino who runs a clinic supported by CAFOD partner Sudanaid. She greeted me and guided me round the immaculately clean clinic showing me the the waiting room, the area for mothers, laboratory and introducing me to the doctors and staff that she works with.

The clinic in Nyala was established in 1998. “We had a lot of people coming to us for help,” she recalls. From treating 20-30 people per day, the clinic now receives between 120-130 people per day. Sister Pierra tells me of her extensive research and study in order to develop her understanding and knowledge of tropical diseases. Today, the clinic enjoys a good reputation for its treatment of skin diseases and people come from all parts of South Darfur to seek assistance.

Continue reading →

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Tagged as catholic church, conflict, Darfur, health, healthcare, home, Sudan, Sudanaid

by tesscorcoran | May 28, 2010 · 12:00 pm

Darfur: The threat of conflict underlies the stillness

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In the exhausting heat of the day, women stroll around Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, in the most amazing dress which paint the arid and dusty skyline with a magnificent pallet of purples, blues, yellows and greens.

They look immaculate as the sun dips in the West and falls on the chorus of the bustling markets and streets which animate Nyala town.

Donkey-pulled carriages still populate the dirt streets and it’s an off day when the men sitting in groups, adorned in white jalabiyas don’t give you a firm, warm Sudanese greeting. A strong handshake which could outlast the sunset.

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Darfur: Bringing solar power to the people

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Communities in Darfur are finding sustainable solutions to water shortages in camps for people who have been forced to flee from their homes.

The rainy season in South Darfur typically lasts five or six months of the year. For the remainder, the land is dry, arid and desolate. With the length of the rainy season becoming increasingly unpredictable in Darfur, water has become a precious commodity.

While the climate change debate is on the collective brows of our world leaders, innovative adaptive measures are being taken in Darfur to secure sustainable water sources amidst the continuing drought.

Osman, the Project Coordinator of a Water and Sanitation Team supported by CAFOD’s partner, Caritas said, “Kubum Solar Water Project was initiated by the growing need for sustainable sources of water in the camps for people who have been displaced. This is the first successful example of an aid agency using a solar powered solution for the benefit of the camp communities”.

If there is one thing which Darfur has in abundance, it’s sunlight. Using clean technologies to derive solar energy is proving to be an efficient way of creating sustainable water supplies for communities affected by the ongoing violence in Darfur. These projects offer a community-owned solution to the resource scarcity which fuels violence between different ethnic tribes.

Continue reading →

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Tagged as Actonpoverty, aid, climate change, environment, health, refugees, water