The 2003 conflict in the Darfur region in western Sudan left over three million people without a home and living in overcrowded camps. Relief International started working in North Darfur in 2006, and is one of the last remaining aid organizations in Zamzam camp. Very few services exist here for the camp’s growing population of over 200,000 residents.
Relief International works with vulnerable communities across Darfur to deliver healthcare, secure access to clean water and food, improve basic hygiene practices, and create employment opportunities.
Our teams provide primary healthcare, vaccinations, family planning, and care for expectant and new mothers at 47 locations. We also build local capacity by training national health service providers and conducting community-wide campaigns on disease prevention and healthy practices.
Darfur is desert-like and water is scarce. Relief International collaborates with local pump mechanics to rehabilitate hand pumps across the state. This provides access to safe drinking water and a long-term strategy to keep the pumps working, while creating job opportunities at the local level.
We’ve constructed hundreds of specialized latrines across Zamzam camp – ensuring residents have the sanitation facilities they need to prevent the outbreak of disease. Input from camp residents led the latrines to be designed with bamboo mats for the structure, a material that copes with Sudan’s withering heat better than the traditional plastic sheeting often used by aid agencies.
Our nutrition services at 48 locations in North Darfur treat malnourished children and educate community nutrition workers. Relief International also provides seeds and agriculture training on kitchen gardens to women who are heads of the family. These compact gardens are grown in sacks and maximize the small space outside huts in the dense camp, increasing household nutrition and creating a chance to generate income by selling excess produce in the local market.