A partnership that saves lives
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Once a semi-forgotten and under-reported crisis, the situation in Darfur, Sudan now finds itself regularly in the headlines. It is in this complex emergency that continues to unfold that we, as Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox churches with our related organizations, are responding together to the significant humanitarian need on the ground.
Through a partnership formed in July 2004, Action by Churches Together (ACT) International and Caritas Internationalis have been working together for close to four years to empower families, partner with communities and support the lives of people caught up in the crisis.
Even as the news out of Darfur is seldom good and while acknowledging the depth of the ongoing political and humanitarian crisis, we, as ACT-Caritas, seek to also lift up a voice of hope in the midst of despair, opportunity in the midst of great difficulty, and life in the midst of death.
Respecting human dignity
As the humanitarian response in Darfur representing the vast majority of Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox churches and organisations from across the globe, we ground ourselves in a deep respect for the inherent dignity of all people. In so doing, we work without regard to creed, race, gender or ethnicity. And, while we recognise that identifying vulnerabilities and providing for people’s immediate needs is critical to our work, another vital component of our response is found in recognising the valuable gifts communities in crisis contribute: coping mechanisms and strategies for survival, skills and strengths, wisdom and knowledge, and resilience and courage.
Impacting communities
With the support of our member organisations and their donors from across the world, our response is one of the largest humanitarian programmes in South and West Darfur, which has proven its capacity to provide assistance over a long period of time in an unfolding and complex emergency. In 2008, we are assisting more than 250,000 people through six sectors of response:
- Water and Sanitation
- Health and Nutrition
- Emergency Preparedness and Response
- Psychosocial, Peacebuilding and Protection
- Agriculture
- School Support
We assist both those who have been displaced by the conflict in Darfur and host communities whose resources have been impacted by the influx of internally displaced persons (IDPs). Within Sudan, ACT-Caritas is legally represented through lead ACT member, Norwegian Church Aid (NCA). UK-based Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) is the lead Caritas member for the joint response.
Developing local capacity
As we meet immediate humanitarian needs, a key priority of our response is to also build and develop the local capacity of our national ACT and Caritas members -- Sudan Council of Churches (SCC) and Sudanaid -- and our national partner organisation in Sudan, the Sudan Social Development Organisation (SUDO).
We believe our success is very much connected to our ability to develop the long-term capacity and organisational strength of our national members and partners, which benefit from strong local knowledge, links and trust from the communities they are in and will remain in for years into the future.
