Given sufficient arable land, Sudanese refugees could attain a level of self-sufficiency in food production. But until this occurs, refugees continue to be dependent on external assistance. The agency monitors Government decisions on refugees to ensure that protection standards are not compromised and pays close attention to the arrest and detention of refugees and asylum-seekers. Assistance Refugees in designated camps are given basic support services pending their eventual voluntary repatriation to their countries of origin. Under both care and maintenance and local settlement assistance, refugees are provided with a food package which includes cereals, pulses, edible vegetable oil, and salt.
Supplementary food is provided for malnourished children and lactating mothers.
Household items, including kitchen sets, blankets, shelter material, jerry cans and bath soap, are also distributed. Carpentry, bricklaying, sewing, and knitting are among the skills taught. Agriculture and livestock activities are also promoted among Sudanese refugees as a means of encouraging the refugees to become self-reliant. There are some indications that the Government is considering making more agricultural land available in the settlements for refugees' use. Sudanese refugees wait in camps in the west of Ethiopia to return home.