At the 2005 World Summit of the UN, heads of state and governments unanimously embraced the principle of the responsibility to protect. Darfur, today, represents as a catastrophic betrayal of that principle. Since early 2003, an epic humanitarian crisis has unfolded. More than 200,000 people have died violently or of disease and starvation.

 

Countless adults and children have been seriously injured. More than 2 million are displaced and homeless. A further 2 million are reliant on international assistance. Because of our policy of working with local organizations to ensure local ownership of the projects, War Child has been able to remain operational when others have left due to the grievous security situation.

 

 

With our local partner, the Sudan office of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, we have established four training centres for children and youth in 4 Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in West Darfur. The centres provide a safe space for young people in the midst of incredible violence, and provide training and support to children and youth affected by the ongoing civil strife.

 

Activities include literacy and numeracy training, recreational activities, and vocational training in masonry and food preservation. Recently we have introduced awareness-raising sessions on gender issues, (especially Sexually-Gender Based Violence (SGBV), child rights and health issues (especially HIV/AIDS). Such programming helps to improve the overall well-being of children and youth, alleviate poverty, and crucially offers young males an alternative to joining rebel armies and militias. The program is hugely popular in the camps. As word has spread, we have seen a big influx of young people eager to join the project.