 LUNCHEON THE DARFUR CRISIS – IS THERE AN END IN SIGHT? FRIDAY 12 OCTOBER 2007
At first sight, the complex humanitarian crisis in Darfur might not seem the most digestible topic to discuss over lunch. As it was, the room was crowded, and the audience was gripped by Dayle Haddon’s and Caryl Stern’s passionate accounts of their recent trip to Darfur with UNICEF. They focused on why the crisis matters, on the need for engagement despite its complexity and apparent geographical isolation, what the people of the region need, and what members of the audience could actually contribute. A whistle-stop tour of Sudan’s history teed off the event, to get a picture of why Darfur – an area roughly the size of France with a population of over 40 million – is in the condition that it is today. An estimated 450,000 people have died since 2003, Stern said, in a conflict that has its roots in a combination of political, historical, cultural and environmental factors. This is conflict driven by issues of race, religion, money and power. The trauma suffered by the local population has been intense. Many commentators have referred to it as a genocide – a term Stern left to the audience’s own judgement, and which one participant later questioned. Either way, what has happened has had a particular impact on women and children. Half of the estimated four million people affected by the conflict are children, Stern said. Despite tremendous difficulties and even violence facing humanitarian organisations like UNICEF in Darfur, Stern pointed to some of the progress being made there. One project was underway to identify and invest in what she termed “child-friendly villages.” Under mutually agreed arrangements, the local community would undertake various activities, such as teaching in exchange for receiving educational materials. But above all, what the people in Darfur need is peace and stability, Stern said, showing a picture of a 13-year-old child with a green headscarf who had been traumatised into silence when she saw her father killed. She recounted disturbing incidences of girls who have been gang-raped. Some had been left physically disabled by these attacks, and as a result, they could be cast out from their communities. Even in the camps, refugees could be subject to violence. But in spite of the terrible hardships many endure, women somehow manage to maintain their dignity, and often their humour. When asked why they are not represented at the various peace talks, many reply that they are “too busy working like dogs,” Stern said. Access to water was important – not just for drinking but also for making bricks as the camps evolve into more permanent villages. Having tried it herself, Dayle Haddon recounted just how difficult it was to pump water from wells in temperatures of 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Mothers working the wells for long periods had to contend with babies on their backs vomiting from the repeated jerking motion. Healthcare and nutrition were important – camps of 40,000 people might have no doctor and access to basic primary care only. However, one unforeseen advantage of the crisis was that certain healthcare projects were ahead of schedule. For example, the concentration of people in a small area meant that UNICEF has exceeded its goals on inoculations against diseases like polio and measles. Work was underway to teach people better sanitation practices, and progress was being made in the field of education. Both were identified as fundamental in breaking the cycle of poverty. “The most amazing moment for me,” said Stern, “was going down a line of girls asking them what do you want to do with this education? Their mothers didn’t know life outside their village. For these children there is a world. One by one the same answer came back: ‘We want to be doctors. Help us to become doctors’.” Stern also admitted to being surprised by the sheer exuberance of people in some of the camps: “Darfur met our expectation of horror. But what we hadn’t thought about before we went is that it might also meet an expectation of joy, with babies being born and people celebrating. The spirit of the women of Darfur is amazing - I don’t have words to describe how magnificent it was,” she enthused. And Stern appealed to the audience to assist the people of Darfur in any way they could. She encouraged people to use their voice to pressure politicians directly. “We just need you to use the power of your podium,” she said. ______________________________ |