Oxfam IrelandO

'We will continue to volunteer.'- the remarkable commitment of the Darfur volunteers

One of the remarkable discoveries about Darfur is the number of people who are still volunteering after 3 years of living in Abu Shouk and Al Salaam camps in North Darfur. These volunteers are people who fled the conflict and are now living in the camps outside El Fasher. The volunteers are unpaid. Sixty percent of the original Health Committee volunteers in Abu Shouk, and a staggering eighty percent in Al Salaam are still very active and exceptionally committed.
They perform an essential role in the health and welfare of the people in the camps, which have a combined population of around 100,000.

Health committee volunteers are pivotal to the success of Oxfam's public health work in the camps. Every week they spend several hours visiting households in their allocated blocks and inspecting the surrounding areas. Their duties include, '.going house-to-house visiting families and talking to them, sensitising and educating them about hygiene - domestic, children's and personal. Checking that latrines are properly used and the rows are properly cleaned. Checking if the latrines are full and then following up on them. Checking to see if the plastic sheeting is still in good condition. If it's expired, because it's old and the sun has destroyed it, we then tell the (Oxfam) public health team in the camp. We encourage and assist with the jerry can cleaning - we use chlorine and powdered soap.'

When asked why they become volunteers the answers are consistently similar. 'We wanted to serve our people and to raise the awareness of the population so that everyone's at the same level, everyone has equal awareness and knowledge.' Kaltoum Ali Asad, Abu Shouk Camp 'I'm a volunteer because I wanted to help my people and my relatives. If we don't volunteer to do something the people would suffer and there'd be outbreaks of diseases and illnesses. If we didn't volunteer it would be us who would eventually suffer.so we will continue to volunteer.' Namma Saed Haroun, Al Salaam Camp

Namma isn't alone. The reasons why others continue to volunteer hasn't changed from when they first started: 'We're here because if we overlook the cleaning in the camp then we could end up with a lot of diseases.' 'Cholera, death and diarrhoea would be everywhere and we don't want that to happen here.' 'We want to get rid of all the flies and the diarrhoea.'

The work of the volunteers is appreciated by both the communities and Oxfam staff. 'The work of the volunteers is really appreciated. Kaltoum (volunteer) has just been giving me a lot of advice about storing water and food safely. All her advice is helping me to keep my family from disease and illness.' Mariam Adam Eysa living in Abu Shouk camp.

'The volunteers work really hard. They volunteer because they're afraid of diseases, especially diarrhoeal diseases, spreading throughout the camp. Volunteering is hard work, and they're sacrificing their time for their communities, and the communities appreciate it. The volunteers really feel the necessity to support their communities and their people, who are really suffering in this dreadful situation.' Hussaam Eddin Mirghani, Oxfam Team Leader Abu Shouk camp.

It's not only women who are volunteers. 'There are 88 members in the committee - 44 men and 44 women.' And the group of volunteers being interviewed emphatically say, 'Everyone does the same work.yes, men and women.'

Ahmed Eysa lives in Abu Shouk camp with his family, and has been a volunteer on Oxfam's Health Committee for over three years. 'I became a volunteer because I'm eager to work for the sake of my people.' Ahmed is totally committed. When asked how he keeps motivated after 3 years of volunteering he replied, 'We have to adapt to our situation and we really need to respond. That's why I continue to be a volunteer. There's no way we can withdraw because it's on behalf of the community. There's no way we could give up. We've been chosen by the community and we've been trained by Oxfam.'

Ahmed goes on to describe what life is like in the camp. 'Life here is horrible. It's full of difficulties.and we don't have any solutions in our hands. It's a dreadful way for anyone to be treated but we have no choice. There are no choices for the people living here in the camp.' Though comparatively a small decision, Ahmed has made a choice, like the others, to volunteer and continue volunteering on behalf of his community - a choice that will make a difference to those living in the camps.

Soon the heavy rains will arrive, and the living conditions, in all the camps, will rapidly deteriorate. Devastating diseases like malaria, cholera and diarrhoea could mean that people will face another emergency within an emergency, with 1,000s of lives at risk. The role of the Health Committee volunteers is even more vital.

'You're surprised that we are still volunteering? Maybe you and the outside world can see how bad our situation is and this is why we continue to volunteer.' Kaltoum, Volunteer, Abu Shouk camp

'When we were living in the village we had a lot of hygiene and public health problems but now with Oxfam's assistance this has changed and we thank Oxfam for this and we ask you to continue supporting us.' Namma, Volunteer, Al Salaam camp.