Emergency Response Underway for Thousands Displaced by Conflict in Jonglei

* Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Violent attacks that began on 31 December 2011 have left more than 140,000 people in need of aid in Jonglei State [1]. More than 44,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have sought refuge in and around Pibor town, doubling the size of the town. Families are sleeping under trees or taking shelter with people they know in town. Some stay in public areas such as a school that was initially housing more than 1,000 people. "Pibor town is full to the brim, but still IDPs are seen coming," says Alex Wafula, Medair WASH Technician. During the attacks, Pibor town sustained some damage while nearby Likuangole and other villages were burned to the ground, sending residents fleeing to Pibor town. "Now things are quiet, but people are still scared to go home," says Trina Helderman, Medair Emergency Response Team (ERT) Health Project Manager. When a Medair ERT arrived in Pibor on 7 January, they discovered that several boreholes were broken and required urgent repairs, particularly at the school. With more and more people congregating in the town, Pibor also needed more latrines to avoid the risk of disease among concentrated groups of displaced persons. Working in partnership with the NGO Solidarites International, our WASH team swiftly rehabilitated eight hand pumps in Pibor town to improve water supply and constructed 11 emergency latrines, including eight at the primary school where so many people were living. We also provided seven hand-washing facilities to improve hygiene and sanitation. "I have the peace of God in my heart because at least now there are fewer people queuing for water here in Pibor," says Alex. The bad smell because of open defecation has also reduced drastically as people are now using the latrines. Shortly after the WASH team's arrival, Medair's health and nutrition team arrived in Pibor and started a supplementary feeding programme for children under three years old to help stave off malnutrition, providing food to more than 1,400 young children so far. Our team also screened more than 2,100 displaced children under five for malnutrition and found 406 with moderate acute malnutrition and 55 with severe acute malnutrition. Those children are now being treated at either the government clinic that Medair is supporting or at the Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) clinic in town. All of the screened children also received Vitamin A and deworming medicine from Medair. With the town becoming increasingly crowded, disease outbreak is a serious concern. As such, we are conducting refresher training for health providers at the government's primary health care unit in Pibor to ensure proper care of the most common illnesses and to prepare for a quick response in the event of an outbreak. Our teams have focused relief efforts on Pibor town, but have also conducted outreaches to the IDP populations staying in the surrounding bush. In addition, we assessed significant damage in Likuangole and rehabilitated four of the boreholes there. Insecurity makes it difficult to work outside of Pibor town, but we are continuing to look at opportunities to work in Likuangole and other affected communities nearby. Before the end of the civil war, back in 2003, Medair worked at the Likuangole clinic until we were forced to relocate our teams. "Eight years later, the people still remember us," says Trina. "As we walk around Pibor, people come up to us and thank us for coming back. They thank us for the work we did before." As Medair teams help thousands of people pick up the pieces from the latest series of attacks, those encouraging words remind us that, even in the face of adversity, our work makes a lasting impact on the lives of those around us. Medair serves displaced persons in Jonglei state with ongoing WASH, health, and nutrition activities. Your donations help make our emergency interventions possible. Thank you. [1] UN-OCHA Weekly Humanitarian Bulletin - 2 February 2012 ______________________________________________________________________________ Our teams are supported by the E.C. Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, the Common Humanitarian Fund for Sudan, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, "The Big Give," and private donations. Our ERTs have the capacity to respond to emergencies in all 10 states of South Sudan. Read more about Medair's work in South Sudan. This web update was produced with resources gathered by Medair field and headquarters staff. The views expressed herein are those solely of Medair and should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official opinion of any other organisation.