World Vision is on the ground providing emergency assistance to refugees

Responding to refugees southeast of Blue Nile

Monday, June 7, 2021

This refugee camp in Blue Nile state, southeast of Sudan, is home to more than 1,500 refugees from Ethiopia seeking emergency shelter and support. These numbers are expected to continue increasing, as more registered refugees are arriving every two days.

With the support of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), World Vision has been facilitating the relocation of refugees from the entry point to this camp.

World Vision is on the ground providing emergency support to refugees. — ***This refugee camp in Roseiries locality, Blue Nile state, southeast of Sudan hosts at least 1,500 refugees from Ethiopia who have fled their villages to seek shelter, protection and support.***

At the time of World Vision's visit, there were about 1,500 registered refugees seeking shelter and support in this Camp 6 refugee camp in Blue Nile state. Each day, officials say that refugees continue to arrive.

For most refugees, life in the refugee camp usually means starting from scratch, and having to get acclimatised to a new environment, with limited basic services and means of earning an income.

basic services at the refugee camp — ***Refugees sometimes have to start life with very limited basic services and facilities, awaiting support from humanitarian agencies.***

During a recent visit, World Vision learnt that refugees are hesitant to use existing structures because they do not have privacy when using sanitation facilities. Furthermore, open defecation is also still practiced. World Vision's priority is to set up proper sanitation facilities that ensure users have dignity and privacy.

This refugee camp in Blue Nile state, southeast of Sudan is home to at least 1,500 refugees from #Ethiopia seeking emergency shelter and support. We're working alongside other agencies to improve access to basic services — Somai from Ethiopia says she was forced to cross into neighbouring Sudan when her village was attacked and everything destroyed. Somai arrived at this camp a few days ago, and recals how she endured days of long walks with her children, in search of safety.

World Vision has set up make-shift shelters in order to provide basic health and nutrition services to the refugee population.

Given the scarcity of resources and facilities in the host community, members of the host community often come for medical consultation at the camp.

With more refugees expected to continue arriving and seeking shelter and support in this Camp 6 refugee camp, World Vision is supporting to establish more sanitation facilities to cater for those needs.

Work is in progress to ensure there are some basic sanitation facilities for refugees in thecamp — ***Work is in progress to ensure availability of some basic sanitation facilities for refugees to access while at the refugee camp, including clean water.***

Planned emergency response

World Vision is on the ground, working alongside other agencies, and collaborating with the Commissioner of Refugees, to address critical gaps in the refugee camp.

World Vision is prioritising critical basic health and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services. Health interventions include free consultations with a general practitioner, medicine supplies, reproductive health services, antenatal care, laboratory investigations, and referral services for severe ill patients from the camp to the hospital at the headquarters, in the capital Damazine.

World Vision is also providing nutrition services for under five children including screening for malnutrition

For its WASH interventions, World Vision will focus on ensuring clean water supply, dignified sanitation services and hygiene behaviour change programming. For now, refugees are receiving water through the water trucking method. However, plans are ongoing to transition from this method and establish water supply systems in the camp, in order to adequately meet the projected needs at the camp.

World Vision is also providing some child protection services. Afaf Fadl, acting Refugee Response Coordinator says World Vision is prioritising the establishment of safe spaces for children and community based Gender-Based Violence networks to ensure members of this network are better equipped to prevent abuse, exploitation and violence against children.

World Vision's activities are targeting to reach 10,000 refugees and members of the host community, both directly and indirectly, by the end of December 2021, thanks to the support of UNHCR.

Partners coordination meeting — ***Coordination meeting with partners responding to the Ethiopian refugees situation in Blue Nile state.***

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Photos by Sojoud Elgarrai - Communications Officer, World Vision Sudan