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Field Update: Darfur, Sudan

Nermin Silajdzic, Islamic Relief's camp coordinator, describes life for people in Darfur and the challenges he faces working there.

What is life like in the camps?

Life in the camp is very difficult, especially when compared to how people lived before the conflict. A family of about six share one shelter that is 10 x 13 feet. Some people had been sleeping on the ground for about a year before Islamic Relief distributed mats.

What is the security situation like?

The number of security incidents within the camps has increased recently, with people being attacked and donkeys being stolen. Men, women and children are all being terrorized by militia groups on a daily basis. Shots are often fired into the air to frighten people as the militia ride by on horses or camels. Parents fear for their children and do not let them leave the camp. Many people have had family members killed or raped when the militia attacked their villages. Now they cannot sleep at night because they know the militias are nearby.

Are people able to earn a living?

The majority of those living in the Kerinding II camp have no way of earning a living and rely solely on assistance from aid agencies and the United Nations. Some people collect grass and wood from outside the camp and sell it in the market. Leaving the camp, however, is extremely dangerous. Women who do venture out then have to carry sacks of grass to the market, 3 miles away in the town of El Geneina. A sack of grass will earn them 100 Sudanese dinars (approximately 47 cents) but if it doesn't sell they have to carry it back to the camp and try again the following day.

Recently Islamic Relief has been mobilizing people into groups such as the newly formed Women's Affairs Committee. These committees encourage people to come together and explore ways they can earn a living and support each other.

Are children able to go to school?

Islamic Relief operates a school that has over 1,800 students, mainly from the Kerinding II camp. There are 35 teachers but they do not get paid very much so parents often contribute to their salaries to ensure that the teachers can afford basic necessities of life, such as food. The school itself does not have benches or chairs and needs more books and teaching materials. Despite this, children enjoy school and many of them aspire to be teachers and headmasters when they grow up.

Islamic Relief is also raising awareness amongst parents about the importance of education. Many children do not attend school because they are trying to earn money and girls in particular drop out by the age of 14 or 16 to get married. Islamic Relief staff members are trying to get these children back to school.

How are children coping?

It seems to me that children in the camp have lost one phase in their life – childhood. They are too mature for their age. Earlier I was talking with 20 children from the camp and I noticed how they don't have any desire for toys and playgrounds. They make trucks from old oil cans and play with them in the sand but when I asked what they would like to have the answers were not childlike. A few of the children said they would like to have a bike, a football or a toy but mostly they asked for beds, mosquito nets, blankets, teacups, carpets, clothes, shoes and school bags. One six-year-old girl, Hisham, told me that she would like to receive a blanket to protect herself from mosquitoes and from the cold. 

Do camp residents have access to healthcare?

Islamic Relief operates a health clinic that provides essential healthcare, medicine, antenatal care and health awareness training. Between 100 and 140 patients visit the clinic everyday and the 13 members of staff struggle to keep up with the demand. At the moment we are also cleaning up the camp, cluster by cluster, to ensure better hygiene and we regularly distribute soap and other hygiene items to camp residents.

How do people feel about returning home?

People cannot go back because of the security situation. Of course they would like to go back eventually but they don't know when this will be possible. They are patient people, prepared to wait for the security situation to improve.

The reality is that rural areas in Darfur are very unsafe and many villages have now been claimed by militia members, who have been farming on the land. Recently, International Red Cross workers have been helping people restore family relations by training them in how to write messages for their loved ones, establish contact and find out if they are still alive.

What are some of the humanitarian issues in Darfur?

The biggest humanitarian problem in Darfur is that there is no freedom of movement because bandits control the roads. This means that humanitarian convoys have not been able to deliver aid in areas of great need. Some people are dying of hunger and sickness because sufficient aid cannot reach them.

We also have a problem with unregistered people living in the camp. There are currently over 8,500 registered people in the camp and another 1,200 or so who are not – plus around 600 who live just outside. These people come to the Kerinding II camp for many reasons, including the fact that nearby camps are very overcrowded, or because they have family in Kerinding II. However as they are not registered they don't have the ration cards they need to get food and other aid items. But people end up sharing their food with them anyway, especially with women or the elderly.

From Partnership, the official newsletter of Islamic Relief, Winter 2007