South Kordofan Emergency WASH Response for Returnees and vulnerable host families South Kordofan is considered as one of the neediest states in Sudan for humanitarian assistance due to the ongoing conflict between Sudan government and Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF).

In April 2013, the SRF attacked several areas in South Kordofan including Abu Kersholla locality causing a lot of displacement into neighboring localities as well as North Kordofan state. In January 2013, the Governor of South Kordofan upgraded Abu Kersholla into a locality. it now comprises 4 administrative units namely: Abu Kersholla , Um Barambeta, Alfaied -KhorAldalayib and Om Baraka (Shamshaga). 
The estimated total population in Abu Kersholla locality before the conflict was 140,000 people. At the moment almost 70% (about 98,000 people) of population are currently living in displacement in Elrahad locality, Um Rowaba locality, El Obeid city the capital of north Kordofan, Kosti in White Nile and in Khartoum state.
As of 3 Feb, HAC/IOM have registered and verified some 12,895 people (1560 households) to have returned to Abu Kersholla town. Of this number of returns, 6,287 male; 6,608 female and 1,803 children under 5 years old. On average, there are at least 7 households return per day to the locality in different areas including Alfaied and KhorAldalayib. According to HAC and WFP estimate 36,000 displaced people were temporary settled by local authorities in schools and informal settlement amongst friends and relatives in Elrahad town and the greater Elrahad locality.
At the onset of the crisis in May 2013, the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) led an assessment with the participation of the Sudan Red Crescent and the Sub Saharan international Development Organization (SIDO) to determine the size, demographics, location and key priorities of the affected populations in North Kordofan state. SIDO was already a partner of CAFOD in an ongoing education project in North Kordofan at the time. CAFOD, in collaboration with SIDO, responded immediately to the emergency food needs of the displaced. The project provided food aid to 1,600 families in Elrahad locality during May and June 2013. WFP later took up the food aid role and continue to provide the displaced families with food rations on a 2-month basis. 

In November 2013 CAFOD and its national partner SIDO responded in 3 months intervention to the emergency Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) needs in two IDP locations in Elrahad town where 11,327 IDP settled and in Abgur area where 15, 00 IDP the total beneficiaries of the project were 50,327 people including 38,000 host individuals and 12,327 IDP from Abu Kersholla , CAFOD is the only INGO allowed to serve IDP from Abu Kersholla in north Kordofan state.
According to the assessment conducted in February 2014 by HAC and inter-sector technical mission CAFOD participated in that team the urgent needs in Abokershola locality is WASH the total number of people in urgent needs for WASH intervention is 34,395 returnees. The return average is 7 households per day this number of returnees is expected to increase if the services are restored in the area including water supply and sanitation facilities.
UNICEF is doing WASH intervention in Abokershola town the capital of the locality to cover the gap only in the town, in Alfaied and KhorAldalayib where 11,000 women, men and children returned and restoring their lives gradually there are only 2 water yards functioning out of 4 water yards, and there are 8 functioning hand pumps out of 51 hand pumps. There is no one official body responsible for operation and maintenance of water sources only community manage itself to operate the two water yards by collecting water fee to cover the cost of fuel meanwhile there is no hand pump repairs or water yards rehabilitation if hand pump or borehole is damaged it’ll stay like that as explained by community leaders, before the attack the water sources were managed by Drinking Water Corporation (DWC) when the attack happened they fled and so far they didn’t resume their work. There is need for generator (12.5 KVA) to provide power to operate the pumps, submersible pump 1.5 inch, animal troughs where livestock drink water, pipelines to lift water from the boreholes and there is also need for tap-stands and tank capacity of 25,000 liters in order to upgrade hand pump to mini water yards to cater for humans and animals. Community doesn’t have small spare parts for hand pumps or any hand pump repairing tools that’s why more than 90% of the hand pumps are out of services. If the service is not restored the currently functioning hand pumps would stop. The locality is not engaged in the operation and maintenance of water sources therefore community organized its self through local committee and run the water resources by collecting water fees from the households to cover the cost of fuel. There are approximately 3,000,000 livestock in Alfaied and KhorAldalayib area in summer they the drink water from the few available water sources sometimes they conflict between each other because of the water.
 This intervention propose to rehabilitate water points and raise capacities of the community in order to manage them by itself through establishment and training of WASH committees where women will be represented to ensure their needs are met and to ensure equal decision making opportunities.   
The only two working water yards not covering the whole area many households walk around 1 hour to collect 2 jerry-can (20 liter capacity) per day water is mainly used for drinking and food preparing even though water is not treated with any disinfectant.
Also there is need to conduct general cleaning campaigns and vector campaigns to reduce vector breeding sites as well as hygiene promotion activities to improve hygiene promotion awareness till this moment no one is doing any WASH activities in Alfaied and KhorAldalayib area therefore the need is huge and urgent for WASH intervention. There are 8 schools in the area with total students of 1,940 boys 1,771 girls and 52 teachers all schools lack water supply and hygiene promotion services to address the issue of WASH facilities in the school there is need to repair the damaged hand pumps and provide schools with sanitation and hygiene promotion services.
CAFOD has won the trust and confidence of the NK and SK authorities following a prompt and quality response with food aid during the first 7 days of the crisis of Abokershola using local market opportunities and coordination mechanisms. Also CAFOD managed implement emergency WASH intervention to Abokershola IDP in Elrahad locality in late 2013. It is indeed a rare chance that we are the only known international NGO so far that has been granted unconditional access. We would have considered responding also to the food security and livelihood needs but we prefer to make an entry with the urgent and high priority WASH needs for the returnees, CAFOD plans to do this intervention through its strategic national partners in NK and SK SIDO.