An investment on return: UNICEF and ECHO support the formerly displaced families of eastern Sudan
Khorbody, Blue Nile State. October 2008: The village of Khorbody, in Sudan’s Blue Nile State, lies some 600 kilometres to the south-east of Khartoum, nestling on the border with Ethiopia and amongst a band of communities in what are known as the “Transitional Areas” – those that during Sudan’s civil war lay between areas controlled by the Sudan Armed Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army. Three years since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, families displaced during the war are starting to return to villages like Khorbody – and with their return come increased needs for basic services such as health care, education, water and sanitation. From an initial population of 700,000 at the end of the conflict, a further 62,147 people are estimated to have returned to their former homes, placing additional stresses on an already limited infrastructure. In Korbody, where 1,347 IDPs have returned from Damazine and Bau Locality, there are five hand pumps, three of which were installed with ECHO funding. Supported with funding from ECHO since 2007, UNICEF has been at the forefront of re-establishing and increasing water supplies across the state,Supported with funding from ECHO since 2007, UNICEF has been at the forefront of re-establishing and increasing water supplies across the state, focusing on areas of high return – with a goal of providing clean water for an additional 27,500 people in return areas in 2008 by new and rehabilitated schemes. In Khorbody, one such person is Abdel Hadi Ahmed who came back to his former home after ten years of displacement. He was accompanied by his wife and five children, unsure of what to find. “We expected to find nothing but old trees and maybe neighbours and relatives who had come back spontaneously,” he admits. “But while we have found none of our old possessions, we did find our land.” During his time away, Abdel Hadi earned money from selling firewood, charcoal or grass. Now at least he sees opportunities to improve his fortunes. “We returned because we want to cultivate here, and get our food supply for the whole year.” Having lost his original home, Abdel Hadi and his family are starting work on rebuilding their tukul, a local form of house made from mud and thatch. Their return has been made a little easier from a package of essential supplies provided through UNICEF, including blankets, sleeping mats, jerry cans, mosquito nets and plastic sheeting. Abdel Hadi has noticed other new things in his village. Even before the war forced him from his home, he never saw a hand pump in Khorbody. Now, the village has a secure source of clean water – essential in country where diarrhoeal disease affects more than a quarter of children under the age of five, and where annual outbreaks of cholera occur.
The hand pump has been installed through the partnership between UNICEF and ECHO – a partnership that aims (in 2007/08) to reach 12,500 people with clean water across Blue Nile State. Other ECHO partnerships in the 15 northern states of Sudan, there is a focuses on specific needs amongst displaced populations, including expanding primary health care services, expanding immunization coverage, improving sanitation and promoting better health and hygiene practices. A key element of the partnership also addresses the need to enhance the technical capacity of local people, to manage and take ownership of such projects – for example through the training of engineers from the State Water Corporation in hand pump maintenance. The programme is showing definite results – since 2007,
ECHO’s Head of Office of Humanitarian Aid in Sudan, Cyprien Fabre is pleased with the progress. “I am particularly pleased to see that initiatives funded some time ago through ECHO are still operational,” he said following a visit to villages in Blue Nile state. “The State Water Corporation is really committed to maintenance, enhancing services and coverage – that is something worthy of praise.” Ensuring such sustainability will be critical to Abdel Hadi Ahmed’s chances of rebuilding his family’s life in Khorbody. Clearly still concerned at the fragility of these post-conflict years, he decided to leave one of his sons in the area of his displacement so he could continue his schooling. However, there are signs that Abdel does have confidence in the future of his home village – the community has recently built a new eight-classroom school house from local materials, and Abdel’s oldest daughter is one of its first pupils.
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