Women in South Darfur’s Kalma camp ‘struggle to cope’

On Sunday, more than 150 women living in Kalma camp for the displaced in South Darfur discussed their situation after the distribution of food rations stopped two months ago.

Kalma camp resident Hawa Mohamed Seifelnaser told Radio Dabanga that the living conditions “rapidly deteriorated after the organisations left the camp. We find it hard to cope.

“The main problem is that there are no work opportunities inside the camp,” she said. “And if we leave the camp, we may be beaten, raped, and robbed.”

She demanded relief organisations working in South Darfur to urgently provide assistance.

Many women, despite being subjected to assaults, do leave the camp in search for work, Amina Ismail told Radio Dabanga.

She pointed out in this regard that the wages are very meagre. “We receive SDG50 ($8.20) for groundnut work that takes a whole week. Filling a 100kg sack with onions yields SDG1 ($0.16).”

According to Saadia Mohamed Adam, the harsh living conditions in the camp, the lack of job opportunities, and low wages caused many displaced children to leave school.

“Many women are suffering from malaria. We have hardly enough money to pay for medicines, let alone for basic school fees that currently amount to SDG20 ($3.30) per month,” she explained.