Providing Clean Water During An Emergency

“We began our water, sanitation and hygiene program with a public meeting with the community members, discussing each activity and the implementation strategy. Engaging the community is critical to help the members possess a sense of ownership of the water, sanitation and hygiene services, ensuring sustainability long after the project ends,” explains Betemariam, International Medical Corps’ Program Director in Sudan.

For more than a decade, Darfur has been affected by conflicts, and other man-made and natural disasters that have translated into forced displacement of populations, with 3.2 million people internally displaced in Sudan by 2015.

International Medical Corps’ interventions are lifesaving in nature. Our teams are reaching nearly 60,000 men and women in Central Darfur to improve sanitation, personal hygiene, and increase access to safe water in order to reduce the burden of communicable diseases, like malaria and diarrhea.

As open defecation is still common and handwashing not always a standard practice, through hygiene promotion activities, we are working to build the local population’s awareness of key public health risks associated with those practices. We educate men, women, and children on the importance of proper sanitation, such as washing one’s hands with soap or an alternative cleansing agent, which can prevent serious illness in both children and adults. To-date, our teams have declared seven villages defecation-free, illustrating the positive impact community-based water, sanitation and hygiene activities can have.

To improve environmental sanitation, which focuses on clean and safe water supply, clean air, efficient and safe waste disposal, and more, we are conducting environmental clean-up campaigns with the communities, facilitating awareness and mobilization for action. Most recently, 734 members participated in campaigns in the villages of Umdukun and Mukjar. Betemariam says of the campaigns, “260 mothers are representing the community and developing action plans, helping improve environmental sanitation and hygiene.” By including community members in all water, sanitation and hygiene activities, we seek to empower each person to adopt and promote improved services.

Since 2004, our teams have worked to restore water delivery and sanitation systems as well as provide essential medical care, implement nutrition programs, and support to the Ministry of Health through health system strengthening activities. We thank you and the GlobalGiving community for helping us continue this work.