Hope Through Healing Hands

How long have we been working in Sudan?

Save the Children USA has been working in Sudan for 25 years.  (Save the Children UK has been in Sudan for over 50 years.

Are we working in Darfur?

Up until March 5th - Yes, Save the Children USA received permission from the Sudanese government to enter the conflict ravaged region of Darfur, where a humanitarian crisis was unfolding in March 2004.  By the end of 2004 we were the only international aid agency simultaneously addressing the monthly food, water, shelter, health and protection needs of hundreds of thousands of displaced children and members of their families, especially women.

At the five-year anniversary of our initial deployment to West Darfur, Save the Children remained by the side of children and women still unable to return to their villages and communities because of the region’s instability and fluctuations in violence.  Many roads in Darfur are unsafe because of armed groups; the violence has also periodically affected Save the Children and our local staff directly. While Save the Save the Children remained vigilant to security conditions, we continued to provide a lifeline of food, clean water, nutrition interventions, basic and reproductive health care, protection and education programs to children and women in camps and communities throughout West Darfur up until late this week.

Save the Children USA was providing essential support to more than 1 million children and their families including food, clean water, nutritional interventions, basic and reproductive health care, protection and education programs for children and women in camps and communities throughout Sudan.  We don’t know what the outcome of these developments will be, but we do know that if we are forced to stop our work for any period the lives of hundreds of thousands of children could be at risk.

Will this have an impact on your work in Southern Sudan?

We don’t know what sort of impact this might have, but any break down in the peace agreement between northern and southern Sudan would have grave implications for children. It’s essential that aid agencies like Save the Children continue to be able to deliver life-saving assistance to children across the country.

What should the US government do?

The US government must explore every possible avenue to get the suspension requests revoked and ensure aid agencies like Save the Children are able to continue delivering essential aid in Sudan. It’s imperative that international attention urgently focus on Sudan and that world leaders come together now to unite behind finding a solution to this conflict.

Facts:

-          UN estimates 300,000 people have been killed during the six-year conflict in Darfur.

-          UN estimates 2.7 million people have been forced to flee their homes.

 INITIAL LETTER

MARCH 5, 2009

Dear Colleagues --

        As you all are probably aware from the news, the Government of Sudan has taken some action following the ICC ruling on President al-Bashir and in that connection, Save the Children received a letter last evening which revoked our registration to operate in the country.   CARE, Mercy Corps, Oxfam, Doctors Without Boarders and the International Rescue Committee, among other NGOs, have also all been asked to leave.  All staff are safe and accounted for and we are currently relocating international staff back to Khartoum where we believe they will be processed to depart.  In addition, we're cooperating with the Government of Sudan in its requests related to reviewing all of SC/US' assets in the country.

        Our strategy will be to reenter Sudan and reestablish our work there as soon as possible, but at this point, all operations have been suspended.  It is unclear how long it will be until we are able to return.  In the meantime, we are not making any statements against the Sudanese Government -- all of our messages are focused on the humanitarian crisis that is being faced by children and their families.

        At present, the registration of Save the Children/Sweden has not been revoked in Sudan, and we are working with them to see how we might continue some of our operations through their efforts. 

        The Save the Children/US Crisis Management Team met today and will be meeting again tomorrow to assess the situation. Additional updates will be provided to the Board of Trustees as things develop.  Please don't hesitate to contact either of us if you have any questions.