Emergency WASH and Nutrition response to conflict affected people in Kalma camp and Kass, South Darfur: Building Communities’ Resilience, Facilitating Durable Solutions and Providing Comprehensive Nutrition Services As a result of the primary needs assessment CIS conducted in March 2016 and its continued presence in the area, Klama and Kass IDP camps are targeted under the proposed WASH intervention in addition, CIS proposes Nutrition intervention in Kass camp and its surrounding rural areas to meet the urgent and unmet needs of the people. 

The WASH response will reach 37,000 IDPs living in both camps and ensure they continue having access to safe water supply and adequate sanitation facilities and increase their understanding of key health risks related to WASH and adopting positive hygiene practices. WES recently handed over some of its sectors in Kass IDPs camp to CIS due to the funding gap it has there are 19,709 individuals in these sectors. According to the needs assessment, in these sectors, 8 hand pumps out of 14 are defunct the existing 4 generator power-driven water systems need major maintenance 600 most vulnerable households don’t have latrines and the hygiene situation is dire. In Kalma camp, CIS operates 7 boreholes to supply water for more than 47,800 IDPs however, it will have funding gap to continue the operation as of May 1, 2016 there are also more than 600 most vulnerable households without latrines. To improve the sanitation situation, ensure privacy and security of women and children, and give easy access for the elderly and disabled, new or replacement household latrines will be constructed from locally available materials for the most vulnerable members of the IDPs and communal latrines will be rehabilitated. 

Hygiene promotion activities with communities participation at the core will emphasize prevention of diarrhea, hand washing, menstrual hygiene, infant and young child feeding (IYCF), water treatment, food storage and waste disposal. To improve community ownership and management, existing WASH committees, composed of men and women, will be trained and coached throughout the project period. CIS has continued meeting the WASH needs of the remaining IDPs inside its operation sectors under different grants.

CIS is the only organization providing Nutrition services in Kass locality and the ongoing interventions are not able to address the existing demand in the community. Currently, the Global Acute Malnutrition rate in the targeted areas is 18.1% and the Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) is 4.8%, which makes the situation very critical. The contributing factors for increased gaps include the impact of El Nino reducing food production, reduction of general food distribution (GFD) by WFP, increasing price of food items, and the new arrivals to Kass and surrounding communities due to Jebel Mera conflict.

CIS aims to reduce nutrition-related morbidity and mortality by addressing the critical nutrition needs of conflict affected 10,394 children under the age of 5 years with moderate and severe acute malnutrition and 300 malnourished pregnant and lactating women through the provision of comprehensive nutrition services both in the camp and the surrounding rural areas. Through SHF, CIS aims to support 2 centers in the camp (1 OTP + 1 SFPs), 6 centers in the rural areas (Singita amp Limo - 4 OTPs and 2 SFPs), and 2 new OTPs in Gemiza and Khrewa villages, 1 SC. The interventions include treatment of 6 – 59 months severely malnourished (SAM) children including inpatient care supervise the daily activities of the TSFP for children 6 – 59 months and PLWS, provide micronutrient supplements, de-worming medicine and routine medicine to children 6-59 months, and train community health workers (CHWs) to disseminate information on nutrition and IYCF, screening, case finding and defaulter tracing through community outreach. CIS currently has Food-Based Prevention of Moderate Acute Malnutrition (FBPMAM) program from WFP to support 5 of the 11 feeding centers which compliment this project.