Despite ongoing violence in Darfur, suffering eases among displaced people

3 June 2005

In Darfur and Chad, CARE’s emergency programme reaches well over one million war-affected people:

A specialised food program is treating and preventing malnutrition, especially among pregnant and nursing mothers and children. A network of local trained health workers is providing referrals for treatment, and fanning out among displaced families to provide health and nutrition education to parents. 

Water and sanitation have dramatically improved: the supply of clean water per person in Kalma, the largest camp, has more than doubled since last August. In the same period, access to sanitary latrines jumped from one facility for every 500 people to better than one per 28 today.

Displaced families are gaining access to primary education: in four camps in Chad operated by CARE, about 78 percent of school-age children are enrolled, and preschool centres for children aged 3 to 5, staffed by trained local women, have been established in each camp block. 

In the desert of eastern Chad, a pilot natural resources management program is helping mitigate stress on the environment. The influx of refugees has severely taxed resources such as water, land and firewood, already limited under the best of circumstances. CARE is piloting activities including tree nurseries, gardens and a rationalised system of wood collection, to help reduce environmental damage.

About CARE International in Sudan: CARE has been active in Sudan since 1979  working on water supply, reproductive health and family planning, agriculture and emergency food relief programmes.   As part of a coalition of six international NGOs, CARE has worked constantly over the past two years to maintain the international community's constructive engagement with both parties to achieve peace in Sudan.

For more information or interviews with staff in Darfur contact:

Amber Meikle, , 0207 9349348 Lynn Heinisch,   , +27 11 234 1221,