Despite renewed fighting between government and rebel forces in Sudan's vast western region of Darfur, International Medical Corps continues to deliver health care to those in need and to train residents of displaced communities to become community health workers. Passing on technical skills to resident nationals to help local communities better help themselves is a hallmark of IMC's mission.
In recent months, IMC's Darfur programs have expanded westward toward Sudan's frontier with neighboring Chad in order to reach populations that have had little or no contact with international relief agencies. Construction of an additional health care clinic has just been completed and is about to open in Al Geneina, West Darfur, where access to primary health care is extremely limited for both host and displaced populations.
Also in West Darfur, IMC teams have begun focusing operations outside the camps, setting up mobile medical units and, in some cases, reviving derelict health stations in areas abandoned in the early days of the now three-year-old war. The goal is to encourage displaced people to return to their homes.
Nearly three million people have been affected by the violence, triggering what is widely viewed as the worst humanitarian crisis in recent years. Tens of thousands are believed to have perished in or around the fighting and about two million have been forced to flee their homes. Those trapped by the conflict have had to rely almost exclusively on the help of IMC and other international agencies for their survival. That help quickly became a lifeline, sharply reducing nutritional shortfalls, boosting vaccination rates and generally improving the health of the displaced population.
An extensive assessment of basic health needs conducted by IMC in the troubled region and published in June of 2005, concluded that "humanitarian aid has relieved a significant burden of this displaced population's basic needs - including food, water and shelter - but that gaps persist and general health services, mental health and women's health needs remain largely unaddressed."
Those gaps remain today.
Both women's health and mental health are important components of IMC's programs. While humanitarian aid to Darfur has unquestionably saved many lives, its success is both fragile and vulnerable.
The renewed fighting in northern Darfur coupled with uncertainty about the future of an African Union peacekeeping force have raised new concerns for those in the region. The force of 7,000 troops constitutes Darfur's only organized security presence and its departure likely would leave a security vacuum.
Food supplies also remain a worry. Despite improved nutritional levels, those living in the region are completely reliant on outside assistance for food. According to World Food Program estimates, current supplies will run out early next year and any significant interruption of deliveries from international donors could trigger disastrous consequences.
IMC in detail
IMC has been providing critical emergency medical services for conflict-affected residents of South and West Darfur since July 2004. With a focus on children under five and women of reproductive age, IMC has implemented a range of services to meet the needs of a targeted population of over 288,000 individuals who have been severely traumatized by the region's ongoing violence.
Currently, IMC operates seven primary health care centers and two mobile clinics aimed at improving access to health care services, nutritional assistance, and clean water in the following areas throughout Darfur: Nyala (South Darfur), Deliej, Garsilla, Al Geneina, Zalengei and the Zalengei-Garsilla corridor (West Darfur).
Those facilities provide:
- Family medicine (Read: "Something to smile about in Darfur");
- Maternal and child health care (Read: "Halima -- a reminder of life past and present");
- Prenatal care (Read: "My life: A baby is born");
- Immunizations, including DPT, polio, measles, BCG and ATT;
- Referrals and transportation for secondary care;
- Health education and hygiene promotion (Read: "Healing from within");
- Health facilities construction and rehabilitation (See the slideshow: "Sudan: Providing Primary Health Care in Deliej, West Darfur");
- Water and sanitation projects (Read: "Earth, water, fire");
- Medicines and supplies;
- Health care training for traditional birth attendants (Read: "Mobility, fertility and safe delivery"), community health workers (Read: "Healing from within"), and Ministry of Health staff.
Building local capacity
To help address unmet needs, IMC is building local capacity by training residents of displaced communities to serve as community health workers (CHWs) and peer educators. Specifically, IMC is utilizing its network of Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) and midwives to provide first-line counseling to women who have been victims of sexual violence, while also training CHWs to identify and refer high-risk cases to treatment at IMC clinics. IMC provides support to the Ministry of Health in addition to on-the-job training for doctors and nurses who have just completed medical school.
Water and sanitation activities
Since February 2005, IMC has made a significant impact in another area critically important to the health and well being of Darfur's internally displaced populations - water and environmental sanitation (WatSan) activities. Specific WatSan activities include the chlorination of water distribution points, construction of drainage canals, maintenance of hand pumps, rehabilitation of water sources, and the digging of new wells. The impact of IMC's WatSan activities is evidenced by the 25 percent decrease in vector-borne illnesses in the Deliej/Garsilla corridor since the implementation of the program.
Restoring local infrastructure and supporting long-term recovery
In addition to constructing the new health clinic in Al Geneina, IMC recently helped rebuild a new Ministry of Health clinic in Deliej. The 15-room facility now provides full primary health care services to more than 21,000 residents of the community and surrounding villages.
Three Easy Ways to Help
IMC asks you to support its programs for survivors in Darfur by
1. forwarding this link to friends and colleagues,
2. making a tax-deductible donation, and
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Thank you for your help.