Assisting the most vulnerable

By Malene Haakansson, ACT/Caritas information officer

Humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in the conflict-stricken region of Darfur do the best they can to reach out to the most vulnerable people. This often means having to make difficult choices when needs outstrip resources.

Brian Martin, head of the ACT/Caritas program in Darfur, was taken by surprise recently when he received an unexpected visit at the program's headquarters in Nyala. Four local sheikhs had come to ask for assistance on behalf of their community and some 4,000 displaced people around Ta'asha village, 59 km northeast of Nyala.

People have been fleeing the conflict in this area of Darfur since early November last year, abandoning their own villages and seeking temporary shelter on the outskirts of Ta'asha. The small community of 6,000 original residents was feeling the pressure of an additional 4,000 people relying on the resources of the village.

The families that had been displaced were living in poorly built huts of straw and grass in the most inhospitable environment - one of sand and dust with no shelter.

ACT/Caritas staff responded immediately, sending a team to assess the situation.

"We were quite shocked when we saw how the IDPs [internally displaced persons] were living," said Martin. "There was no camp, but only fragile huts."

The ACT/Caritas team went back to Ta'asha, this time to distribute non-food items (NFIs), as most of the families had fled their homes with very few belongings.

"(The janjaweed) came in the morning on horses, camels and in cars. They did not ask for anyone but started attacking people," explained a man from one of the biggest villages in the area.

He explained that the men stayed in the village to fight, while women and children ran away. More than 30 people were killed, and 28 people were injured in the attack. Many people suffered broken arms and legs and gunshot wounds. The attackers suffered many casualties as well.

"I did not manage to carry anything except my children. Here we do not have anything to carry water - only small bottles," said a young mother of three.

Apart from deliveries of medicine to Ta'asha village's only health station, there has been no other form of assistance. The distribution of NFIs came as a blessing. 260 families received soap, jerry cans, three blankets per family, mats, cooking sets and plastic sheeting to weatherproof their makeshift homes.

Immediately after the distribution, old mats were thrown out, and plastic sheeting went up on the "roofs."

In spite of the fact that resources are not plentiful, the displaced families have managed to earn some money by making charcoal, bricks and mats, and by cutting grass for the animals and selling it in the small market in Ta'asha.

A woman in white - a sign of mourning - told how she was getting by on only one meal a day. Her husband was killed when her village was attacked, and she is now the sole supporter of nine children ranging in age from two to 14.

After completing an assessment of water resources and the level of nutrition and health among the displaced families, the ACT/Caritas team then assisted the families according to their degree of need.

"We will always be in a dilemma when assisting people because most of the people in Darfur have needs," explained Martin. "But we have had to differentiate between the levels of needs in order to use our resources for the most vulnerable."