The trauma of war, escape and exile  

Displaced and uprooted people live out their exile in ghastly conditions in the middle of the desert; in tents, under plastic tarpaulins or scanty clay and straw huts. Most of them have had horrendous experiences and the psychological effects of these are clearly visible. Children and single women suffer the most as a result of what they have had to live through and due to their present living conditions.

For those who have been traumatised the most, SOS Children's Villages started running a relief programme in December 2004 which will be gradually expanded. Numerous local and international aid organisations and government authorities ensure the provision of basic materials as far as possible. OXFAM, the International Red Cross and the Sudanese Red Crescent, Save the Children, UN Organisations such as UNICEF and WFP, among others, are in charge of water provision, delivery of food, sanitation, school facilities, and medical assistance. SOS Children's Villages' provision of psychotherapy and psychiatric treatment to help overcome traumas fills the gap left by the other services already being provided.

Outside the camp, which stretches over three to five kilometres, is the SOS Family Centre, a second will be set up on the other side of Abu Shouk, so people do not have to walk so far. The centre consists of a simple tent, about 100m2, and people seeking help and advice queue up there. Three psychologists, two social workers and a psychiatrist care for children and women, or mothers, respectively, who suffer from emotional disturbances.

Based on a survey carried out among the inhabitants of the camp, the team concluded that 84% of the children have phobias. They are afraid of loud sounds, airplanes, horses, camels, and dogs. Many of them have developed other symptoms of fear, seem listless, insecure, cannot concentrate, some are aggressive and harbour feelings of hatred. Most of them (over four years of age) who are being assisted by the SOS Children's Villages therapy programme suffer acutely from a so-called post traumatic stress syndrome; a serious psychological illness resulting from traumatic experiences which is associated with physical symptoms.

As well as children, single women who have lost their husbands and other family members, and who have been raped and mistreated, receive therapy. A number of different types of therapy are being used and include playing, music, painting, children's theatre, family, individual and group therapy. If assistance involving medication or psychiatric treatment is called for, the psychiatrist, who regularly visits the SOS Family Centre and is always available, is called upon. Some adults, especially women, have given up on themselves. It is the task of the psychologists to give them back their strength to live.

The co-workers also visit the families directly. There is one family consisting of eight children, the mother, the aunt and the grandmother. The father died in the war. Another family previously had eight children, and three of them died together with the grandfather. An addition family consists of six children and their mother. One of the children is deaf, as a shock reaction to the death of the father.

The situation for these children is more than difficult, but for those children who are alone it is much more dramatic. For children who are either orphans or who have been separated from their families, as well as for single women, SOS Children's Villages has created a protected area within the SOS Family Centres. The family usually guarantees protection and safety for its members, but many women have lost their husbands, their parents and other relatives. Women and young girls without their families are often victims of rape, abuse and violence. Women who have been raped are no longer accepted by society.

"The main goal of our work in Darfur is to support women and children as much as possible to help them overcome their traumas and to offer them a protected environment where they are safe from being attacked", said Richard Pichler, Secretary- General of SOS-Kinderdorf International. "These mothers have been through so much, they need professional help and advice in order to gather their strengths."

Up to 20 women and their children can live in a guarded and fenced area directly adjoining the SOS Family Centre. They also care for other children, whose families have either died or got lost in the confusion of the war. The single women and children are provided with food just like all other camp inhabitants, and if required, they are given other supplies such as a simple dwelling. At both sites together, a total of 300 children are accommodated and cared for.

Together with other organisations, SOS Children's Villages makes great efforts to reunite orphaned children with their families. Where this is not possible, children are taken in by the SOS Children's Villages in Khartum and Malakal. If necessary, the construction of another SOS Children's Village in Darfur is an option.

It is not possible to know when the people will be able to return to their home towns. Whilst conditions remain unstable and there are no binding political commitments to ensure the safety of refugees, they can not set out on their way because of the uncertainty. If peace is restored and if people no longer need fear persecution, SOS Children's Villages in Darfur plans to finance the building of three schools with an annexed health centre. Support will be offered to the single women and children who currently, and for an indefinite period of time, must fight to stay alive in the "City of Exile" Abu Shouk.