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Potatoes turn into onions, donkeys and carts when the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) helps the conflict affected population of Darfur in their efforts to create a future for themselves and their families.
Salah Abdul Mahmoud did not know how to provide for himself and his family before he became a part of the DRC ’Market Oriented Vegetable Production’ programme, targeting mainly women and youth in West Darfur, South Sudan.
The project is just one out of many, as the current programme of Danish Refugee Council in Darfur is targeting 42,000 IDPs and 34,000 rural households in the Wadi Sali, Zalingei, Azoum and Jebel Mara regions of Darfur.
Salah Abdul Mahmoud is one of the young beneficiaries. To him the Market Oriented Vegetable Production programme has become the beginning of a thriving business. Last year, he received four bags of potatoes, he planted, cared for and harvested with success. The original four bags became 40, of which he and his family consumed a part and the rest were sold and invested - in new crops for his fields.
”The potatoes have given birth to 85 bags of onions, and I am so happy,” says Salah Abdul Mahmoud.
The presence of Danish Refugee Council in the rural areas is aimed at rebuilding the livelihoods of the conflict affected populations through ’non-discriminatory’ activities that encourage and promote peaceful co-existence between the Arab and African communities.
Hawa Mohamed Abdallah and Suraya Adam Osman from the Zagawa Ethnic group did not own land when they joined the Seed Multiplication programme. They both borrowed land from their neighbors and planted ground nuts. Hawa Mohamed Abdallah earned income enough to acquire herself a piece of land. Suraya Adam Osman on the other hand bought a donkey, and a cart, and invested part of her income in a bakery - these businesses are today the lifeline of Suraya Adam Osmans family.
”These programmes are aimed at ensuring that livelihoods of conflict affected populations living in rural areas of West Darfur have been protected and that the affected population is moving towards recovery on the basis of own resources and capacities,” says Santa Abiria, Danish Refugee Council's Darfur Project Manager.
Danish Refugee Council has worked in West Darfur, South Sudan, since August 2004. Activities there include, among other things, implementing protection and livelihood programmes, infrastructure development projects like construction of schools and Community Centers, humanitarian interventions such as food aid, provision of basic non-food Items and agricultural inputs like seed, tools and vocational skills.
The Danish Refugee Council ’Market Oriented Vegetable Production’ programme is part of the organisation's Livelihood Diversity and Enterprise Development Project, which is funded by EC.
