Skip to main content

IFRC operations extended to respond to food insecurity in Sudan's Red Sea and Kassala states

Countries
Sudan
Sources
IFRC
Publication date
Origin
View original

This revised Emergency Appeal seeks a six month extension from the current December 2012 to the end of June 2013 and revises the budget from CHF 2,878,035 to CHF 465,665 to cover the operational costs of 31 nutritional feeding centres in Red Sea and Kassala states for 64,000 beneficiaries. A Final Report will be made available by 31 September 2013 (3 months after the end of the operation).

Appeal target: revised from CHF 2,878,035 to CHF 465,665 for 64,000 beneficiaries.

Appeal coverage: 46% (against revised budget figure)

Appeal history:

• This Emergency Appeal was initially launched on a preliminary basis on 13 April 2012 for CHF 2,839,471 for three months to assist 64,000 beneficiaries in eastern states, Red sea and Kassala states.

• Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF): CHF 250,000 was initially allocated from the Federation’s DREF to support the national society to respond as start up capital to this appeal.

• Throughout the reporting period SRCS remains the main national agency, taking the biggest share of responsibilities in provision of humanitarian assistance in Sudan.

• Operational Update No 1: provided information on the status of the operation and included adjustments to activities (support to management of feeding centres), budget, appeal timeline (to end of December 2012) and geographical coverage area (Red Sea and Kassala States).

• This revised Emergency Appeal extends the appeal timeline to June 2013 and revises the budget to CHF 465,665.

• The appeal had so far received CHF 212,597 in support from the Japanese, Danish and Monaco Red Cross Societies.

Summary: The Red Sea and Kassala States are the two areas targeted with the food security appeal. SRCS has been one of the main actors implementing food security interventions in the operational area of this appeal. It is expected to fill the gap left by the engagement with key national and state actors, meet evident needs and avoid escalation of the level of food insecurity in affected communities. SRCS has received commitment from its key non Movement partners (UNICEF, State Ministry of Social Services, State Ministry of Health (MoH) and Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC)) to provide in-kind food items, drugs, technical support and seconded staff to complement the items procured using the DREF funds and facilitate interim management of the critical feeding centres.

Latest update from FAO’s Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS) indicated improvement in the harvest season productions in comparison with the last year, which comes as positive impact of the good rainy season this year. Consequently, an improvement in the overall food security conditions is expected in some parts of the country especially in Darfur, however (GIEWS) project that food insecurity is likely to persist in conflict-affected areas of the Blue Nile, South Kordofan and North Darfur States as well as among poor households in Red Sea and Kassala states.

Despite the enhancement of the food security situation linked to this appeal in the areas of intervention, Red Sea and Kassala states still remain amongst the food security stressed areas based to the projections of Famine Early Warning System Network FEWS NET for the period from December 2012 to March 2013.

In view of the fact that the nutritional status of the population is a key indicator in regards to the progress of the food insecurity in the country, recent reports revealed a high rate of undernourished people in Sudan. For example, latest reports issued on 9 October 2012, by UN agencies as FAO, WFP and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) presents estimates of chronic undernourishment for the last two decades, and figures for Sudan show that 18 million people or 39.4 per cent of the population are undernourished, which increases the burden of the humanitarian actors in regard to the food security operations in Sudan.

In addition to the information mentioned above, the local community needs, the potential for escalating the severity of food insecurity, and the developments in Red Sea and Kassala, this appeal has revised the first operational update and plans for an extension of the operation timeline from the current December 2012 to June 2013. That extension will cost CHF 526,079 to keep on covering inclusion of the operational cost of 31 feeding centres under this appeal in Red Sea and Kassala. This extension, aims to prevent the situation from getting worse and deteriorating further into a crisis situation. This extension takes in to consideration the growing needs of the most vulnerable people and the accessibility challenges facing the national and international humanitarian actors especially after the gap caused by the closure of seven international NGOS in Eastern Sudan, which resulted in withdrawal from members of the donors community, from providing any further assistance and support.