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In Africa’s largest country, Mercy Corps and our sister organisation, Mercy Corps Scotland, lead humanitarian assistance efforts in conflict-affected Darfur and recovery efforts in the areas most affected by Sudan’s 21-year civil war — the same areas where today’s peace is most fragile. Mercy Corps’ goal in Sudan is to support the transition to a fair and lasting peace.
Through the USAID-funded Building Responsibility for the Delivery of Government Services Programme, Mercy Corps and Mercy Corps Scotland work with selected state ministries and local authorities to improve their planning, financial and human resources management, to develop leadership skills and to improve the delivery and management of development plans for their diverse communities.
Mercy Corps is facilitating market-led economic growth and alternative livelihoods by building on existing entrepreneurial acumen and providing vocational training, business planning skills and financial management tools. Beneficiaries have identified and realized community improvement projects, including the construction of market stalls, public latrines, youth and community centers, electrification, water access and improvements in irrigation and drainage. In addition to providing income to workers, these activities have injected the equivalent of £480,000 into local economies, revitalising local markets and building economic resilience.
Mercy Corps' civil society initiatives help to enable peaceful, community-driven change. Together with Mercy Corps Scotland we do this by directly supporting 114 community-based civil society organisations in seven regions that comprise 27 localities and counties across southern Sudan and the three transitional areas (Abyei, Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan). Our staff provides mentorship and support, empowering the organisations to better assess and respond to the needs of their communities and allowing them to play a more active role in strengthening the peace in Sudan.
Mercy Corps also facilitates community access to information through a network of resource centers. These include a computer lab for partner organisations to receive basic computer training and access the Internet, a library of technical resources in English, Arabic and other local languages to improve their community projects, and video and audio materials for people with limited literacy skills. Each centre also has a conference room to host community trainings and dialogues with the government to address community issues.
Mercy Corps maintains the capacity to respond to emergencies as they arise, to minimize the negative impact of natural and manmade disasters and to reduce the possibilities of localized conflict. In Darfur, our sister agency Mercy Corps Scotland is working to provide support to improve sustainable access to water, sanitation and hygiene .
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