The front lines have moved dramatically over recent months but an enduring peace is still far away. Oxfam is working with the internally displaced to improve hygiene and ensure clean water. Jean McCluskey, Oxfam's Emergency Programme Co-ordinator in Angola, sent this report. Concrete cover for latrines in Cubal. At the start of the rainy season, some of the worst public health conditions prevail.
Water supplies are still at their very lowest.
The rain which has fallen gathers all the dirt and excreta which is covering the ground, into the wells which the displaced have dug in order to have nearby access to water supply. The stench in some areas describes very well the open defecation which the rains are transporting to the same areas of the camp each time. Access to soap has been limited, if at all in some areas. In amongst some of the over crowded camps tripods are erected and concrete rings are being put into place in the hand dug wells. In others which don't have such luxuries as a high water table, a portable drilling rig is in operation, drilling into the geology in search of a much needed supply of clean water.