THINK – Total Health Integrated Network Kulbus

The conflict plaguing Darfur is perhaps one of the most devastating humanitarian crises in the World: in the last 8 years about 200,000 people have died and 2 million people were forced to flee their homes. The population lives in a situation of continuing insecurity.

In the northern corridor of West Darfur, due to spread violence, the presence of armed groups, movement of the population and increasing poverty, the already precarious health situation has worsened and outbreaks of epidemics such as measles, whooping cough, jaundice acute and mumps appeared. Thanks to the intervention we run in 2011 together with the Ministry of Health and the Sudanese Red Crescent Society, the risk of epidemics outbreak has remained under control.

With THINK project we aim at improving the accessibility and availability of preventive and curative health services, with particular attention to women and children. It is a complex health intervention program, which involves the communities most affected by the conflict: refugees, returnee families, the local population and displaced persons from West and North Darfur.

In the city of Kulbus and in 10 villages of the surrounding area, Primary Health Care Centers and Unit are strengthened, both through training programs for staff and specific health activities such as vaccination campaign for children provided by the Ministry of Health. Moreover, Health Centers strengthen their capacity to respond and control epidemic outbreaks and are able to provide adequate services to the population, particularly to pregnant women for antenatal and postnatal care. Awareness campaigns are planned to inform and sensitize the community.