GULDO HUMANITARIAN MISSION REPORT 29 June 1 July 2014 Participating agencies: UNOCHA, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, WHO, NCA, SRC, WES, HAC Line ministries (Education, Health, Agriculture) UNAMID (HRA,CP and ODO sections) and INGOs (DRC, IRW and Tearfund from Nertiti).
BACKGROUND The Jebel Marra area has remained inaccessible to humanitarian partners for nearly three years. The last time humanitarian organizations visited the area was in August 2011. Since then, no more access has been made to Rokero locality and parts of Nertiti locality in Jebel Marra by humanitarian community due to government concerns over safety of humanitarian personnel. A recent mission conducted by the Wali of Central Darfur together with some technical officers from the line ministries in May 2014 indicates that humanitarian situation in Rokero locality and parts of Nertiti locality area has tremendously deteriorated with most basic services not in place. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities are reported to be broken down, while health facilities are reported to have neither drug stock nor medical personnel. A number of mass vaccination campaigns that have been conducted in the last two years in Sudan have either not covered or partially covered the mentioned areas due to lack of access for vaccination teams into the area. Generally, there is lack of concrete information about these areas for planning since no humanitarian agencies have conducted any assessments in the area over the past three years. The UNAMID Central Darfur Head of Office had also earlier met the Wali to raise concerns about humanitarian access to Jebel Marra. At that meeting, the Wali committed to grant humanitarian actors access to the area upon his return from Jebel Marra It is upon this background that this joint government and inter-agency mission was organized to visit initially Guldo area in Nertiti locality. Subsequent missions will be conducted to Rokero locality at a later date, security permitting. The overall aim of this mission was to conduct a rapid assessment of the situation in Guldo to inform response planning for people in need of humanitarian assistance. 2. MISSION OBJECTIVES: To assess the general humanitarian situation in Guldo to inform response planning To open and pave way for a resumption of humanitarian operations in Guldo and subsequently to other areas in Jebel Marra To establish and strengthen contacts with key stakeholders in the area (local authorities and CBOs) to support humanitarian operations in the area 2 P age
To build confidence between humanitarian agencies and different stakeholders in Jebel Marra area for future engagement to support protection of civilians and provision of humanitarian assistance to people in need. 3. MISSION PARTICIPANTS This was a joint government and inter-agency mission. Participants included the following: UNAFPs (OCHA, UNHCR, WFP,WHO and UNICEF) UNAMID (Humanitarian, Child Protection and Ordinance Disposal sections) INGOs (Norwegian Church Aid (NCA), Danish Refugee Council (DRC), Islamic Relief Worldwide and Tear fund) Line Ministries (HAC, Agriculture, Education, Health and WES) Sudanese Red Crescent 4. METHODOLOGY: Focus group discussions with community groups Interviews with local and community leaders Observation Market survey 5. MISSION FINDINGS 5.1 Security and access Since 2011 access to the Jebel Marra area including Guldo by humanitarian agencies was restricted by GoS authorities due to frequent clashes between SAF and SLA/AW armed group in the area. Organizing and finally carrying out this particular mission with UNAMID armed escort support was a big achievement after several trials and denials. A number of check-points were observed on the road between Nertiti and Guldo. It was not clear to the mission team who was in charge of these check points as the check points were unmanned on the day of the mission. Guldo town is under the control of government. Heavy military (SAF) presence and limited presence of GoS police was observed in the area. With the report that rebels are in the vicinity of the town, clashes are likely to erupt any time with obvious consequences on civilians as happened in December 2012. 3 P age
Consequently, security arms of government are likely to continue to be against visits to the area citing security concerns. Note that even this particular mission was cancelled several times before it was finally cleared. Road conditions are very bad and might be impassable at the height of the rainy season. The security and access issues highlighted above are likely to affect sustainable humanitarian operations in Guldo although the Wali is quite supportive of provision of assistance. 5.2 Population movement/displacement The population of Guldo administrative unit is estimated at 70,000 out of which nearly 17,000 live in Guldo town Nearly all the IDPs who fled from Guldo and Golo to Nertiti town (about 30,000) during the December 2012 clashes between SAF and SLA/AW group have returned. Community leaders claimed that there are nearly 17,000 IDPs scattered in host communities in Guldo Administrative unit. The IDPs are reported to be from Bar Bara, Matajoro, Sayngo, Tango, Daba Nira, Katol, Shawa, Shafogo, Jebel Moya, Toro, Dabanga, Karo, Cory, Jartaga, Koyo and Dalo villages. The mission team however could not verify this claim due to time constraint during the mission. 5.3 Sector findings and recommendations (refer to the matrix below) 4 P age
SECTOR SITUATION ANALYSIS, ON-GOING RESPONSES, GAPS AND RECOMMMENDATIONS Sector Sector situation analysis On-going responses Actions/Recommendations Agriculture is the main source of livelihoods in Guldo and land is available for cultivation Crops grown include sorghum, millet, okra, tomatoes, onion, potatoes and citrus fruits (oranges lemons, grapes and apples). Fruits are grown as a cash crop and the main source of income for most households. The main concern from households is lack of seeds and tools. Last year ICRC distributed Apart from DRC plan to distribute seeds to 1700 households, there are no other agencies working in FSL in the area. The suspension of ICRC activities in the Jebel Marra area has left a big gap especially in seed and tools distribution. No food distribution in the area at agricultural inputs to 22, 500 hh in the area. the moment. The last food Since ICRC was suspended no agency is directly working in the area in FSL. SMoA received was in June 2013 from ICRC (food for seed protection) confirmed that have not allocated seeds for WFP is currently doing Food Security inaccessible areas in Jebel Marra this year SFP/IBSFP programmes in Nertiti and Livelihoods If the seed issue is not addressed the food and outlying areas. The (FSL) security situation may be an issue as early as harvest time. programmes have reached Gonei and Thur which are about 20km Markets function well and are accessible to from Guldo. This programme all locals Available commodities include sorghum, could be expanded to Guldo and Golo. millet, pulses, ground nuts, fruits (oranges, grapes, mangoes and apples), groundnut oil etc. Meat (sheep,goat, cattle and camel) is readily available in the markets Prices in Guldo markets are higher than both in Zalingei and Nertiti (see table in the annex) Winter agriculture is also practiced hence the demand for irrigation tools and improved water supply. WASH Population in Guldo has access to safe drinking water from 4 hand pumps and 3 open wells. One of the one hand pumps is totally damaged 5 P age -WES with support from UNICEF provided essential hand pump spare parts and maintenance tool kits to the water committee in Guldo FAO/SMoA: Urgent seed distribution to Jebel Marra area to fill the gap left by ICRC. WFP/UNICEF/TEARFUND: Expand the nutrition activities into Guldo and Golo. This will be the main safety net for pregnant and lactating mothers as well as under-fives. The markets / supply chain in Guldo needs constant monitoring to ensure people have access to food at all times. In view of the food availability as well as the excess harvest according to the crop harvest assessment, no general food distribution is recommended at this point in time. For UNICEF, WES and WASH partners Repair of the broken hand pump Rehabilitation of the 3 open wells Conduct hand pump training for 25 people and provision
There is a water and sanitation committee in Guldo Out of the 20 hand pump mechanics trained by ICRC and WES, only 3 are present in Guldo Hand pump maintenance tool kits are available There is a hand pump spare part store/shop in town. However, there is shortage of some items Community didn t receive any sensitization on water treatment and use. No water purification supplies are available in Guldo Sanitation and Hygiene The WASH committee estimated that over 50% of the population has no access to latrine. Open defecation was observed during the mission The general sanitation situation is very poor in Guldo. Garbage, animals faeces were observed in the market and on the street. During the day, market people keep their animals in the market close to the school. There are hygiene promoters trained by ICRC. However, no hygiene promotion activities are currently on-going All the 4 primary and 2 secondary schools in Guldo do not have access to safe sources of water and hand washing facilities. No school soap distribution has taken place in the last 4 years Guldo Clinic has a latrine unit with 2 doors, but it is out of service. There is no safe water facility at the clinic Community is willing to participate in any activities related to WASH. of hand pump spare parts for hand pumps and maintenance standard tool kits Follow up with Guldo WASH committee to update the household list with/without access to sanitation facility Construct 250-300 gender and disabled sensitive emergency household and communal latrines for the most vulnerable families Construct gender and disabled sensitive WASH facilities in 2 schools and health facility Conduct hygiene promotion training for 25 people Conduct hygiene promotion activities in Guldo Conduct 300 household visits and 10 sessions focusing on water treatment and use, personal hygiene and the importance of using latrine. Provide cleaning tools and motivate the community through the WASH committee to carry out regular cleaning up campaigns Distribute soap for primary school students and to the health facility Construct 1 unit of a 4 stance latrine in Guldo market. Long term recommendations Facilitate drafting of community action plan for scaling up water and sanitation coverage Drill a productive bore hole, construct a mini water yard equipped with elevated tank in Guldo with network and distribution points in the schools and clinic near the market Conduct WASH training package with at least 40% female participation to build the community capacity and raise awareness in water treatment and use, community water management, maintenance of hand pumps, pump operator and chlorinator and fabrication of latrine slabs Develop and train water and sanitation clubs in schools and train the students along with teachers to raise awareness Construct a slaughter house and hand it over to the 6 P age
admin unit Health and Nutrition The health facility building is in a sorry stateno doors and windows. Essential drugs are not available in the health facility Water source is open dug well There is no ambulance, no medical referral system, no proper antenatal care and basic emergency obstetric care (BEMOC), no vaccine and refrigerator. Children are vaccinated only during campaigns There is no health information system in place There is a nurse, 3 health assistants, 2 midwives and a Pharmacist Serious cases are referred to Nertiti hospital: It costs about 1500 SDG to hire a vehicle to Nertiti It was reported that 10 mothers have died at the health facility with birth related complications since the beginning of 2014 The Primary Health Director delivered some drugs (IMCI and PHC Kits) during the mission There is a nutrition center (OTP) supported by UNICEF and SMoH and run by community volunteers since October 2013 up to date. There is also additional OTP centers in the area surrounding Guldo such as Korifal, Katti providing same services for children under 5 years Recently SMoH received support from UNICEF for continuation of nutrition activities in 7 Jebal Marra areas including Guldo centre SAM cases with medical complication will transfer to Nertiti hospital IC for further nutrition treatment For SMoH, WHO and health partners Expand and upgrade the existing health facility into basic emergency obstetric care (BMECO) to ensure safe delivery Reinforce the role of health committee that will enhance the sustainability of the services and ownership by community. Recruit well trained medical staff for the health center Provide midwifery kits and essential drugs Establish health information system Major rehabilitation and construction of new buildings Provision of generator and solar system Train health volunteers on malaria home based management as well as vector control since malaria is a major cause of morbidity Provide an ambulance to the health center to facilitate referrals. Provision of safe water, hand washing facilities, latrine and an incinerator at the health center Refrigerator for vaccination to ensure vaccines are safely stored Distribution of mosquito nets especially to pregnant and lactating mothers Add Guldo to health map and reporting system to ensure adequate surveillance Start supplementary feeding program, reinforce the existing outpatient therapeutic program and start Integrated Blanket Supplementary Feeding Program (IBSF) Train staff and community volunteers on Community Based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) Establish mother to mother support 7 P age
Education ES/NFIs Protection Education services are very poor in the area: Classrooms are destroyed and furniture looted There are an estimated 5,000 children of school going age, over 50% of whom are not enrolled in basic school education due to lack of school fees, uniform and exercise books. 100 children are enrolled in 2014 in the preschool classes; however, their attendance is not steady. According to the class teacher, there is low motivation caused by lack teaching facilities such as toys and educational materials as well as lack of seats and uniforms. Students have no education supplies- eg books, uniform etc Poor WASH services at the schools Teachers and PTAs have not been trained in a long time. Most of the shelters are in bad condition and are worn out by the weather (both rainfall and sun). The only organization which was working in the village was ICRC. Their suspension in February 2014 left a big vacuum on humanitarian services in the village. During the mission, about 274 hh were reported to be in need of ES/NFI supplies due to a fire incident in the area that burnt their homes The most vulnerable segment of the community is women and children, and the major protection concern is the need for clothing, shelter, food and medicine. SMoE assigned the Emergency Education Officer to visit the area and conduct a comprehensive assessment No ongoing government and/or humanitarian programs working in Guldo on protection of children and women. For SMoE, UNICEF and Education partners Rehabilitation of school classrooms and provision of required furniture Provision of WASH services in the schools. Provision of education supplies (student kit, teacher kits recreation kits and seating) for 3000 students. Conduct enrolment campaign with supplies distribution. Teacher, Headmasters and PTA training on child friendly schools. Provision of ES/NFIs to the 274 households whose houses were burnt down in a recent fire Provision of Emergency Shelter and NFIs for identified needy households estimated at about 3,000 HHs. The community leaders particularly prioritized cooking sets, jerry cans, mosquito nets, blankets and tarpaulins (plastic sheets) as their urgent needs. For UNHCR/UNICEF and others Due to the limited time on the ground, comprehensive protection assessment could not be conducted. Need to make subsequent visits to make better assessment of protection situation, ensuring confidentiality of 8 P age
Most of the displaced families do not intend to return to their villages of origin soon due to fear of being caught up between the conflicting parties. There is also fear of presence of Unexploded Ordnance (UXOs) in some villages around Guldo due to long armed clashes in the area. Domestic violence, early and forced marriage and school drop outs are among the protection concerns reported during the mission. Child protection No recent reports of grave violations against children. Two girls aged 8 & 11 years were reportedly raped two years ago while they were collecting firewood. The case was not reported. Children and women reported prevalence of domestic violence, early marriage and early pregnancy. Women and girls go in groups to collect firewood to avoid harassment and sexual violence. People do not report incidents of grave violations to police. Child and women victims do not have medical, psycho-social or legal support. information. Need to establish longer-term contacts with the community and women leaders for monitoring of grave violations against children. Agencies and NGOs to cover the humanitarian gap left by ICRC. UNICEF and SMoE should work out ways to enable children attend schools. Improve learning environment through establishment and equipping of child friendly spaces. Re-activate the functioning of the women centre. UNICEF and SMoE to support to the pre-school class initiative. UNAMID ODO to conduct an UXO assessment as well as well as UXO education in the area. Establishment of community based child protection programming in the area. 9 P age
Annex 1: Mission participants Name Agency Position Email Telephone Noureldin Mohamed OCHA National Field abdulmula@un.org 0912140138 Abdulmula. coordinator Anil Raghuvanshi UNAMID Child Team Leader Raghuvanshi@un.org 0901704506 Protection Saif Aldawla Ahmed UNAMID Child Team Assistant Ahmed92@un.org 0911155234 Protection Enos Chuma UNAMID/HRA Team Leader chumae@un.org 0922336694 Section Edward Moyo WFP Head of Sub Office edward.moyo@wfp.org 0910092596 Rashid Yahya Mudall UNICEF Wash Officer rmudall@unicef.org Omer Adam WHO Health public officer Ome25025@gmail.com 0912167164 Abubaker Ahmed UNHCR Program officer ABBAKER@unhcr.org 0915060373 Najah UNHCR Program officer ahmednaj@unhcr.org 0919853153 Mukhtar Idris NCA Wash Officer watsanzalingei@ncasudan.o 0915550517 rg Magda Mohamed SRC Officer Mmajda220@gmail.com 0911249445 Ali Abdella WES Ali.bagaira@gmail.com 0112864837 Abubaker Mohamed Adam HAC Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Muzamil SMOH Director, PHC services SMOA Alraiah SMOE N/A N/A N/A Elbagir Mohamed WFP WFP Security officer Elbagir.hassan@wfp.org 0121545395 Ezaldin Haroon DRC Community Mobilizer 0115752934 TEARFUND Abdelrahman Mohamed IRW Program officer Abdelrahman.mohammed@i slamicrelief-sd.org 0922588662 10 P age
Annex 2: Food Market Survey in 3 locations in Central Darfur Nertiti Zalingei Gildo TYPE OF GRAIN price/bag price/mid price/bag price/mid price/bag Price/Mid Sorghum food aid 150 15 180 17 230 24 Sorghum fetrita 125 13 160 15 245 25 Sorghum Fesikh 180 17 190 19 265 27 Millet 230 25 240 25 297 30 Groundnuts 380 NA 400 NA 400 N/A Seasam 90 kg NA NA 1200 NA NA N/A Source: WFP- Zalingei 11 P age