Dr. Tijani Mohamed treats a child at a health clinic in Otash Camp
Stories of hope
With World Vision's support lives have been changed even in the most difficult circumstances
Read the stories below to learn more about how, with your support, World Vision can continue to work in emergency situations providing help and assistance to the most vulnerable.
Case studies - Darfur
Darfur Appeal – thousands of children fed
Three-year-old Mohamad and his family walked for 120 miles looking for refuge from the men who attacked their village. After many frightening days of travel, they arrived at the Otash Camp for Internally Displaced People in Southern Darfur. Mohamad and his baby brother were malnourished, very weak and scared, but safe. Tijani Mohamed, the manager of the clinic set up by World Vision, quickly saw the boys who were in need of immediate attention.
Darfur is suffering from a conflict that has been waging for over four years. The conflict has seen 200,000 people killed and 2.2 million people flee their homes fearing attack. World Vision is present at the Camp in Otash, working to help thousands - mainly women and children who are living there.
The clinic where Tijani treats 200 people a day is just one of seven health clinics set up by World Vision in Darfur. In Otash, a quarter of the children are severely malnourished, so the clinic concentrates its efforts on changing that. They distribute high-energy biscuits and oral re-hydration salts to the children. “Mortality rates have been reduced drastically,” Tijani says, “I cannot imagine what would happen if this clinic was not here.”
The work of these health centres has been supported by funds raised by the emergency appeal for Darfur last year, launched by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) of which World Vision is a member. The appeal money is also funding work to reduce the spread of common diseases in the camps, by encouraging the adoption of preventative measures in households, increasing immunisations amongst children and improving water and sanitation facilities.
In Darfur, World Vision also operates seven feeding centres, distributing food to 275,000 people affected by the conflict – the work is done in partnership with the World Food Programme. In addition a 'food for seeds' programme encourages farmers not to eat the seed they produce. The seed can then be stored until the planting season. There are also Seed Fairs where farmers can exchange aid vouchers for seeds, helping the agricultural economy to recover.
And in Otash, once Mohamad and his brother are stronger, they will be able to take advantage of one of the Child Friendly Spaces that World Vision has set up in Darfur. These are safe places where children can eat, play, learn and begin to recover from their experiences together.
