Diary from Sudan – Part 2

InterAction President & CEO Sam Worthington is visiting humanitarian workers in Sudan. Follow
along as he posts diary entries and shares photos from along his trip.

February
24,
2008
–
Khartoum,
Sudan



Tomorrow
I
get
on
a
UN
flight
to
witness
the
world’s
largest
and
most
sustained
humanitarian

intervention.
Getting
permission
to
travel
is
a
bit
of
roulette,
dependent
on
how
many
slots
on
the
UN

plane,
but
most
of
all
on
the
will
of
the
Sudanese
Government.
We
have
mixed
success.
I
fly
out
at

0900,
Judith
at
1100,
and
our
other
colleague
will
unfortunately
remain
stuck
in
Khartoum.
So
much
for

keeping
our
team
together.


In
Darfur,
13,000
humanitarian
workers
keep
over
2
million
internally
displaced
people
(IDPs)
alive.
They

work
through
80
international
NGOs
and
the
International
Committee
of
the
Red
Cross
(ICRC),
and
a

massive
UN
humanitarian
presence
with
agencies
from
UNHCR
and
UNICEF
to
the
World
Food
Program

(WFP).
Operationally,
beyond
the
obvious
need
for
funding
and
security,
two
things
make
this

humanitarian
effort
possible;
the
first
is
the
incredible
professionalism
of
the
various
NGO
staffs
and

their
leadership
(to
work
here
you
simply
have
to
know
what
you
are
doing),
and
the
second
is
not
too

glamorous,
you
need
lots
and
lots
of
coordination.
Humanitarian
work
in
Darfur
is
run
on
meetings,
e‐
mails
and
phone
calls.



Starting
last
night,
and
through
all
of
today,
I
spent
12
hours
with
the
in‐country
leadership
of
key

humanitarian
actors
on
the
ground
in
Darfur:
Relief
International,
Catholic
Relief
Services,
Mercy

Corps,
International
Medical
Corps
(IMC),
Save
the
Children
US,
International
Rescue
Committee
(IRC),

World
Vision,
Concern,
GOAL,
Oxfam,
MedAid,
the
ICRC,
UN
and
USAID’s
Office
of
Foreign
Disaster

Assistance
(OFDA).
A
lot
of
meetings
to
explore
how
this
incredible
humanitarian
effort
works,
what

keeps
it
going,
and
what
stresses
might
cause
it
to
fall
apart.
These
are
professional
organizations

among
many
others
working
here
with
a
major
mission
on
their
hands.
The
UN
recognizes
that
about

70%
of
the
work
on
the
ground
in
Darfur
is
handled
by
NGOs.
And
for
international
NGOs
everyday
is

an
uphill
battle.



The
typical
effective
length
of
stay
for
a
humanitarian
worker
in
Darfur
is
between
1
to
2
years
max.
The

year
break
itself
into
cycles,
with
many
international
staff
spending
10
weeks
in
the
field,
a
short
R&R

out,
and
to
return
for
another
10
weeks.
In
this
continuous
cycle
all
depends
on
getting
a
travel
permit.

When
in
Darfur,
the
workdays
tend
to
go
on
forever
with
the
occasional
midnight
e‐mail
read
by
the

country
office.
Some
stress
is
obvious.
There
is
a
lack
of
security,
colleagues
are
attacked,
sometimes

killed,
and
vehicles
are
robbed.
Other
stressors
are
more
insidious,
a
request
to
leave
to
go
home
to

bury
a
father
or
simply
visit
family
is
denied,
communal
living
takes
its
toll,
the
work
never
ends,
the

efforts
of
the
past
year
are
erased
by
a
combat
operation,
staff
vacancies
can’t
be
filled,
and
time
takes

its
toll,
slowly
breaking
down
the
hardiest
soul.


“I’ve
reached
the
end
of
my
useful
life
on
the
ground,”
commented
an
experienced
relief
worker
after

two
years
in
Geneina.
Many
of
the
world’s
most
experienced
humanitarian
workers
covered
the
first
2‐3

years
of
the
Darfur
crisis.
Now
in
its
fourth
year
recruitment
has
become
a
challenge.
Darfur
is
not
the

ideal
place
for
a
first
humanitarian
tour.
For
some,
after
a
year
it
is
time
to
move
on
with
a
tour
in
Darfur

checked
off
to
complete
a
resume.
You
can’t
blame
them.