Earlier assessment conducted in Mid July 2023 by JMCO in Zalingei indicates the following gathering points and total number of household/IDPs each gathering point hosted at the time; Al Shola school camp 210HH, Al Karnik school camp about 76HH, Al Rebat school camp about 113HH, Al Shamallia (A) camp about 112HH, Al Shamallia (B) about 102 HH. These camps are still receiving new IDPs every day.
These fighting and movement of communities (people) impacted greatly, leading to massive challenges in the state (CD); lack of healthcare services, lack of clean water for drinking and domestic use, severe shortage of food (many children are malnourish due to starvation), IDPs live in uncertainty of their safety due to unpredictable abduction by unknown gun men.
Urgent intervention is highly required among the IDPs and host communities, all the cities need humanitarian assistances in response to the above mentioned challenges and constrain among the people in Central Darfur –Garisila, Azum and Zalingei localities.
JMCO and UNICEF have worked hard to find space to provide WASH emergency response in Central Darfur especially Zalingei (extending to other localities –Azum, Garsila and jebel Mara. The agreed and active emergency response plan which is expected to last for at least six months targeting more than 50,000 individuals directly including IDPs, returnees and host communities. At this situation water supply through tinkering are necessary beside maintenance and rehabilitations of existing water infrastructures, distribution of household chlorine 0.33mg and tank chlorine 1.67g are vital, construction of communal latrine with local material and plastic slab will be very important for reducing open defection and improve the public health status in the gathering points. More so, establish community awareness mechanism through sending hygiene messages to all IDPs gathering points beside environmental sanitation activities for cleaning campaigns at all IDPs camps.
Under the same emergency response plan, JMCO and safe water collaboration under project named safety and dignity project (SDP) to cover affected population at Zalingei and Azum locality as first intervention, still both agencies are conducting more coordination and collaborations for sustainable concrete future interventions.
Regardless of the very challenging context, both agencies have decided to start intervention at this target sites, through project called safety and dignity project using their relationship with both the fighting parties RSF and SAF to facilitate and reach the affected population in order to provide lifesaving services. This project will be managed by WASH project manager under supervision of JMCO and state water collaboration (SWC). JMCO and SWC agreed that clearer reporting system and M&E system and accountability mechanism should be use during the project period.
There is still a major concern regarding the security situations of the state, rainy season, lack of communication network and internet beside run out of food and supply stocks at the state level and lack of banking system, nevertheless, we are working hard to find solutions to those challenges and mitigation plan to enable maneuver through the planned project activities