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GOAL in Sudan
GOAL has been working in Sudan since 1985.
South Sudan
The signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005 by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement and the Government of Sudan brought an end to Africa’s longest running conflict. Despite the ending of the conflict the ongoing insecurity, the absence of virtually any infrastructure and the weakness of institutions of governance means that South Sudan continues to have one of the least developed health care services in the world. Child and maternal mortality rates are extremely high and access to health, water and sanitation facilities is limited
GOAL Ireland operates an integrated Primary Health Care (PHC) programme in three of the most marginalised areas in the country - Twic County Warrap State, Kurmuk County Blue Nile State and the Sobat Corridor Upper Nile state.
To address the low accessibility to heath, nutrition and water and sanitation conditions that exist in the country, GOAL carries out an integrated PHC programme which combines preventive/health promotion, curative care and provision of water and sanitation facilities. In 2007, GOAL reached over 200,000 people through its PHC programme and more than 76,000 people through Expanded Programme of Immunisation (EPI) and reproductive health services.
GOAL operate 32 Primary Health Care facilities in South Sudan, delivering the following services:
- Curative Care
- Child Health
- Reproductive Health
- Health Promotion
- Nutrition & livelihoods
- Outbreak Surveillance
- Community health worker training
- Water and sanitation
- Expanded Programme of Immunisation (EPI)
Each clinic serves as a focal point for additional activities, including clinic and community health education, nutrition interventions, livelihoods and water & sanitation. As part of GOAL’s support to the Ministry of Health, we are also involved in the training of Sudanese healthcare workers as well as construction and renovation of clinics in the three areas of operation.
North Sudan
The official signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the Government of the Republic of the Sudan and the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement in January 2005 marked a historical watershed for Sudan. It brought an end to 22 years of protracted and costly civil war that had caused tremendous loss of life, devastated the country’s infrastructure, and destroyed livelihoods, trust and hope.
As the initial steps towards nation healing and reconciliation get under way, GOAL North Sudan’s integrated program targets 335,000 conflict-affected people through primary healthcare, nutrition, water and sanitation, livelihoods and literacy programs which address many of the underlying causes of poverty.
Darfur
In the conflict-ravaged Darfur region, GOAL has been implementing humanitarian programs in the northern Kutum region since the start of the conflict in February 2004. GOAL’s intervention aims to assist internally displaced people (IDPs) and host communities both in urban and rural areas.
GOAL health service delivery in Darfur consists of 9 static clinics and 3 paramedic clinics which provide essential health care services for a population of approximately 163,000. The clinics provide vaccinations against common diseases, curative health care and ante-natal health care. GOAL also carries out education and awareness campaigns within the local communities disseminating messages regarding hygiene and sanitation with the aim of reducing the morbidity and mortality rates due to common hygiene related illnesses. The distribution of non food items is also a key activity carried out by GOAL in Kassab and Fata Borno camps. Items linked to improving sanitation at household level such as ibreeks (water jugs) and metal bowls for washing are distributed.
Against a backdrop of insecurity and frequent carjacking, the recent completion of the 100 latrines in Fata Borno camp - home to 4,400 displaced people – has been a major achievement. Water and sanitation initiatives including the repair of hand pumps; construction of water platforms, fencing of existing water points and the construction of new hand dug wells. A livelihood programme introduced in July 2007 pioneered GOAL’s bag garden initiative enabling 2,000 conflict-affected families in two of the largest displacement camps to cultivate vegetables despite having no access to land.
Given the present insecurity and absence of a viable peace process GOAL is seeking to ensure that key services in health care, nutrition, water, sanitation and relief commodities continue to be delivered to the affected population. Due to the uncertain nature of the environment a key focus of GOAL programmes is to ensure that services continue to be delivered, as much as is possible, during potential periods of insecurity. GOAL facilitates this through a continued focus on capacity building of local staff. This is supported by the development of a programming infrastructure that is sustainable via remote management if externally recruited staff are temporarily relocated due to security concerns.
Abyei
Abyei is a social and economic bridge between the north and the south. In 2007 the lack of progress on the implementation of the Abyei Protocols within the CPA, including the continued disagreement on the borders between north and south, has lead to increasing tension in the Abyei population, this tension has been further exacerbated by a nine-fold increase in the population of Abyei Town from 5,000 in 2005 (SRRC) to 30,000 today, with a similar increase in the surrounding villages giving a total area population of approximately 100,000. This increase has put limited and insufficient basic services under severe strain. As one of few NGOs operating in this fragile area, GOAL’s 4 fixed and 5 mobile health care facilities ensure free access to essential health care for the most vulnerable. GOAL is rehabilitating another 4 health centres during 2008.
To improve access to safe water and sanitation facilities in Abyei, GOAL work alongside affected communities to develop water plans, implement hand dug wells and hand pumps, and train community water and sanitation committees in care and maintenance of water points. Complementing the water activities health promotion, sanitation and hygiene are a main focus in Abyei town where 100 demonstration latrines are being well received by communities.
The GOAL Livelihoods Program aims to improve food security and stabilise community coping-mechanisms through increasing access to income, training in agricultural techniques for the farm communities are run weekly at five demonstration farms.
Kassala
In Kassala in the east of Sudan, GOAL adapted its’ health program in 2007 to respond to the changing political environment with 10 clinics transitioning to the Ministry of Health. The success of this strategy is proven through the fact that the clinics are still functioning at agreed levels. Another 4 clinics are under construction in remote and marginalized areas currently cut off from healthcare.
GOAL assists affected communities to develop community owned water plans and by doing so effectively engaged people in finding relevant solutions to the problems of water scarcity, this has resulted in a number of water systems being developed particularly at health clinics. A number of trainings are delivered for the community covering topics such as vegetable and crop production, tree production, plant diseases and diseases control. Goats are distributed to the poorest households through an innovative goat restocking program.
REFLECT Khartoum
GOAL started REFLECT in Khartoum in 1998 as pilot project in Dar Es Salaam Camp involving 150 displaced women and 8 trained facilitators. Following positive results, GOAL decided to implement REFLECT on a bigger scale, increasing the number of participants in Dar Es Salaam and then expanding in other areas identified as vulnerable in terms of literacy: This program which was supported by EU was handed over to REFLECT CBOs in 2005.
In 2007 GOAL started running a project of 25 REFLECT groups with an average size of 25 members. The learning units generated from the findings of a needs surveys which assists participants in analyzing their situation and enabling them to come up with actions to improve their life. Typically units cover resources and services in the area, income generation opportunities, human rights, health education, key nutrition messages, reproductive health issues, HIV/AIDS and prevention of diseases among other topics. Facilitators are selected from the community and receive regular training and supervision from GOAL REFLECT team.
Accolades to GOAL Sudan
‘We support agencies which do essential work under challenging circumstances – GOAL qualifies on both counts.’
Former USAID Administrator Roy Williams, after donating $750,000 to GOAL’s work in South Sudan.
'GOAL has penetrated further into the country than many other international organizations and are struggling to put much needed health, food distribution and road building projects into place: the work of Irish NGO’s has been the subject of high praise from both government and senior United Nations officials.’
Minister of State at the Dept of Foreign Affairs, Conor Lenihan on a visit to Darfur in April 2005.
'It has been very important that agencies here step up. To get numbers of people on the ground and to start doing the job very very quickly – that’s what GOAL has managed to do.'
Glyn Taylor of the British Foreign Office in Darfur
Minister Ahern orders the first airlifts of Irish humanitarian relief supplies from the Irish Aid stockpiles at UN Base in Brindisi, Press Release, Department of Foreign Affairs, 9th August 2007 (read more)
UN cop-out on Darfur crisis, Irish Examiner, 8th August 2007 (read more)
Rethink on sending Army to Darfur urged, Irish Times, 4th August 2007 (read more)
West's wake-up call to end Darfur crisis;
China looking after its own interests in Darfur, Richard Delevan, Sunday Tribune, 5th August 2007 (read more)
Operating around Darfur's obstacles
USAID/Sudan Monthly update, July 2007(read the article)
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