On the road in Darfur: a day with a Merlin mobile clinic  Read more...

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Sudan, the largest country in Africa, has been blighted by conflict for more than 20 years. In 2005 peace agreement between the North and South ended the country’s civil war, beginning the slow process of reconciliation and reconstruction. In the western region of Darfur, a five-year conflict which has forced two million people from their homes, has been described by the UN as "one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises."

While the conflict has taken a heavy toll on the people of Sudan, disease and malnutrition have been responsible for the greatest number of casualties. Children in particular are highly vulnerable malaria and diarrhea once their bodies are weakened by a lack of food and clean water.

HOW MERLIN IS HELPING

North Sudan
Since 2004, Merlin has been providing vital medical services in Darfur, both to thousands of displaced people fleeing conflict and to the equally underserved local communities. Merlin offers comprehensive primary health care, focusing on maternal and child health, disease prevention and health education, through a network of static and mobile clinics in the region.

Accessing rural communities is a daily challenge in Darfur and our programs are constantly adaptabed to ensure we can provide vital services to the greatest number of people possible.

South Sudan
We have been delivering health care in South Sudan since 1997, working to improve the health of vulnerable people who have suffered for decades from war, famine and disease. We support hospitals and clinics, providing primary health care, rehabilitating clinics, preventing disease, and together with South Sudan’s Ministry of Health, building the capacity of health staff.

Supporting mobile and static clinics
In Darfur, Merlin is providing primary health care services in conflict-affected areas. Every six months, we treat 134,000 people using mobile and static clinics in Gereida camp, as well as Adilla and Sanyafundu regions.

In South Sudan, we are supporting two major hospitals and nine primary health care facilities, providing vital health care and preventing disease for isolated and vulnerable people. Health workers at these facilities treat over 50,000 people in an average three-month period.

Improving maternal and child health
Merlin is running vital pre-natal clinics in three areas of Darfur. Our trained midwives provide safe delivery kits, iron, folic acid and other supplements, as well as mosquito nets and health education to expectant mothers. 25,000 mothers attend these clinics every year.

We are also helping to prevent disease in camps for displaced people in South Darfur through immunisation and health education. Every three months, over 1,600 children benefit from immunisation services, and over 43,000 people attend health promotion sessions, which stress the importance of hygiene, vaccination and malaria prevention techniques.

HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in South Sudan
Merlin is implementing a comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment program in Magwi and Pibor Counties, serving a total population of almost 400,000. We train community health workers to raise awareness of sexually transmitted infections, and to run outreach programmes on how to prevent infections. We distribute condoms to support this, handing out over 70,000 between October and December 2008. Voluntary Counselling and Testing services are provided to all, and are offered as part of pre-natal care for expectant mothers with appropriate follow-up recommended to all mothers found to be HIV-positive. In November 2008, we conducted a special HIV and AIDS awareness campaign targeting commercial sex workers in Nimule, reaching 861 sex workers and 702 of their partners.

Improving water and sanitation in South Sudan
Together with our local partner, we are supporting the drilling of ten boreholes across the arid counties of Ikotos, Lopa and Torit. Community education sessions have been carried out, and we’ve helped introduce water and sanitation committees to promote hygiene and sanitation. We are also building latrines and installing reliable water supplies at Nimule and Boma hospitals, as well as constructing waste disposal facilities.

Key achievements

European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO), United States Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), Guernsey Overseas Aid Commission, Sudan Common Humanitarian Fund, The Annenberg Foundation, UNICEF, Basic Services Fund (BSF), Intrahealth, World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/European Union, Leris.

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