Aiding Darfur’s refugees
The IRC continues to help around 60,000 refugees who have fled from Darfur into neighboring Chad. We provide medical care, water, sanitation, education protection, camp management and measures to tackle gender-based violence.
Southern Sudan
The IRC provides emergency relief and post-conflict assistance across Southern Sudan. We support more than 450,000 people in the five states of Central and Eastern Equatoria, Northern Bahr El Ghazal, Unity and Lakes.
Primary healthcare: IRC health teams support the Ministry of Health to run 23 primary healthcare facilities, providing essential medical care to an estimated 233,000 people in Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Unity States. We provide equipment, resources, staff training and supervision, as well as developing management skills. In addition, the IRC’s Regional Health Training Center trains an average of 40 community health workers and maternal and child health workers per year. Since 1995, over 600 Sudanese health workers have graduated.
Reproductive health: Maternal mortality levels in Southern Sudan are amongst the highest in the world. The IRC therefore conducts safe motherhood activities such as antenatal, delivery and postpartum care. We implement HIV prevention, counseling, testing and post-test programs, while a new specialist obstetrician/gynecologist will deliver five months of training for IRC staff on safe motherhood issues.
Sudan health transformation project: The IRC is involved in one of the largest health programs in Southern Sudan: to provide sustainable healthcare for 3 million people across nine states. IRC advisors are providing technical assistance on community mobilization, water and sanitation to other aid agencies and the Ministry of Health, thereby supporting 145 primary healthcare facilities.
Child survival: The IRC is training a network of community-based distributors – villagers who can identify and treat the common childhood illnesses of malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea. To date, we’ve trained 361 people and surveys show the IRC’s work has contributed to an 81% reduction in deaths in under fives. The IRC is massively scaling up the program, targeting a total of 211,000 cases over the next three years and distributing mosquito nets and vitamin A at the same time.
Education: An IRC technical advisor is building the capacity of the Ministry of Education in Northern Bahr el Ghazal by supporting policy development, planning and program implementation and teacher training.
Return and Reintegration: Since the CPA in 2005, the IRC has worked to promote the sustainable return and reintegration of millions of Southern Sudanese displaced during the civil war. The IRC monitors areas experiencing high levels of return to identify protection concerns. We use the information gathered to provide training on basic rights and responsibilities, and improve livelihoods with skills training.
Rule of law: To promote good rule of law, the IRC: educates communities, police and local authorities in three states about human rights; monitors and reports on the administration of justice in customary courts; and trains community groups to offer free legal information, mediation and counseling to their peers.
Gender-based violence: Two decades of civil war have left a legacy of violence, with women and girls especially vulnerable. The IRC therefore raises awareness of the causes and consequences of gender-based violence through songs and drama, supports literacy classes for women, and builds the capacity of authorities and civil society to provide psychosocial, medical and legal support to survivors.
Children and youth: Since 2004, the IRC has promoted the rights of children and young people using community-based approaches. We support child protection committees to identify child protection concerns and find appropriate solutions. Our livelihoods and alternative education activities target returnees and conflict-affected youth – particularly demobilized child soldiers – but are designed to benefit communities as a whole.
Civil society development: The IRC supports a dynamic civil society by providing capacity-building, technical advice and mentoring on areas such as project design, fundraising and organizational management.
