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*Updated March 24, 2009*

Islamic Relief Continues Operations in Darfur
Islamic Relief continues its humanitarian work in Darfur and is fully operational in the region.  Your support is urgently needed to provide aid and relief to millions of people entirely reliant on assistance.

Demand for services that Islamic Relief offers in the region has sharply increased, particularly in water and health, after some of the world's leading relief agencies were asked to close their operations in early March.

In the Kerinding II camp, for example— an Internally Displace Persons (IDP) camp in West Darfur administered by Islamic Relief— the number of patients using the health clinics has more than doubled over the last few days.

On March 12, the Sudanese Minister of Health visited Kerinding II and thanked Islamic Relief for quickly opening a second health clinic to assist in meeting the increased demand.

Despite the ongoing efforts by field staff, and the generosity of countless donors, more support is desperately needed to meet the basic needs of the displaced people in Darfur. Please donate today to help Islamic Relief continue serving the people of Darfur.

"the largest humanitarian crisis in the world"
- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, referring to the situation in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region

Please donate generously!

The Conflict
The conflict between the Sudanese government and rebels began in 2003, and continues until today. The United Nations estimates about 300,000 people have been killed and more than 2.7 million have been displaced from their homes since the crisis began.

Many of these displaced victims continue to live in unbearable conditions in overcrowded refugee camps inside Sudan. The escalation in violence has also pushed displaced people across the border into refugee camps in eastern Chad.

Lack of Aid
The United Nations has estimated that the fighting and the decrease in relief assistance  has left millions of people in Darfur cut off from aid.

Internally displaced people living in the many refugee camps in the country have been the worst-affected by the aid shortages as they have little access to food, healthcare, clean water, and sanitation. 

Islamic Relief's Actions
The camps for displaced people have become a symbol of the Darfur conflict. There are now approximately 200 camps in the region, some near the border with Chad, others near major towns and cities.

The Kerinding II camp in West Darfur was established by Islamic Relief in 2004 and is home to over 14,000 people. The camp is expected to absorb more IDPs and will house over 17,000 people in 2009.

In addition to providing water and sanitation facilities, hygiene kits, education, psychosocial counseling and vocational training, Islamic Relief is also administering healthcare services to 10-12,000 people from the host community and neighboring camps who access the Kerinding II clinic.

On March 11, 2009 the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) asked Islamic Relief to assist in providing water and sanitation services to the 21,000 IDPs residing at the Kerinding I camp in Darfur.

Islamic Relief is also rehabilitating water sources to neighboring villages and maintaining 26 classrooms at the Masakane School which serves 1,800 pupils.

Please donate now to make sure Islamic Relief can care for the thousands of people suffering in the deserts of Darfur.

Islamic Relief is also assisting farmers by providing water, irrigation, and healthcare facilities for a previously ailing population.

Islamic Relief has provided millions of aid assistance in its efforts to ease the suffering of the victims.

More than 275,000 Sudanese have benefitted from Islamic Relief's projects in the region, with over 120,000 benefitting in 2008 alone.

Islamic Relief also trains women in building fuel-efficient stoves, reducing the time women spend outside of the camp's safety looking for firewood, consequently decreasing the chance of rape or attack.

Please donate today to support Islamic Relief's work in Darfur.  Your donation can save lives.

Making a Difference
Islamic Relief's efforts in Darfur are closely monitored in order to ensure the highest quality assistance in the most sensitive and effective manner.  Below you will find details describing Islamic Relief's impact in Darfur.

Kerinding II camp for internally displaced people (IDP) in El Geneina, West Darfur
•    Managing Kerinding II camp in West Darfur, which accommodates 14,661 IDPs (the camp will be extended in 2009 to accommodate 17,539 IDPs in total) 
•    Providing health services through Kerinding II clinic serving 65 patients per day
•    Providing a complete water and sanitation package including the provision of water through hand pumps, sanitation through construction of latrines and showers and the distribution of hygiene items
•    Maintaining (through regular rehabilitation) 26 classrooms of Masakane School serving 1,800 pupils. Providing education materials to the pupils.
•    Providing health services to a new clinic in Kerinding II camp extension area, constructed to provide health services to the newly relocated IDPs and host community.

Assistance to the host community and neighbouring camps in El Geneina
•    Providing health services to 10-12,000 people from the host community and neighbouring camps who access the clinic
•    Rehabilitating water sources in the host community for 6,000 people
•    Constructing 150 household latrines in the host community
•    Providing new water sources, latrines and hygiene items and conducting hygiene sessions in 10 schools in El Geneina

Water and sanitation needs assessment in Kerinding I
•    On March 12, Islamic Relief conducted a rapid needs assessment, one day after being formally requested to take over water and sanitation operations in Kerinding I by UNICEF
•    There are 21,000 internally displaced people and people from the host community living in Kerinding I camp (6,664 families in total).
•    The existing water sources include 15 handpumps, 2 motorised water system and 2 water bladders. The water sources are currently covered by WES, but Islamic Relief has been requested to meet this need.
•    A project profile will be developed and shared with all the IR Partners shortly.

Assisting farmers and nomads in Gokar Area in Geneina Locality, West Darfur
•    Providing clean drinking water to 10,000 IDPs, farmers and nomads in 10 villages by drilling boreholes and installing hand pumps and the rehabilitation of hand pumps and hand dug wells
•    Providing sanitation facilities to 3,500 IDPs in Gokar Village and 1,500 farmers in Mulli Village
•    Rehabilitating and extending a primary healthcare unit in Mulli
•    Managing a weekly mobile clinic service in Gokar reaching 180 patients per day

Participating in dialogue between INGOs and the international community
•    Islamic Relief Sudan (in its capacity as a member of the INGO Steering Committee) is taking an active role in dialogue between the INGOs and the international community in Khartoum.
•    The Country Director has participated in several meetings with INGOs and donors this week. In these discussions it is clear that all parties are keen to prevent further escalation of the situation.

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Click here to read an article on Getting an Education in Darfur

Click here to read an article on the Continuing Crisis in Darfur and Chad

Additional Darfur Content
Field Update
Life in the IDP Camps
Seyama's Story
Life in the Camps of Darfur