UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER |
Source: Emergency Nutrition Network Newsletter "Field Exchange" February 1999 issue at http://www.tcd.ie/ENN
Dear readers
This issue of field exchange heralds the second phase
of the ENN. Our first two years appear to have been
sufficiently successful to prompt continued support
and participation from partner agencies and donors.
In order to launch the second two year phase of the
ENN Fiona O'Reilly visited Nairobi to meet many of
the agencies working in East Africa. This was an interesting
and useful trip in that it brought more agencies and
personnel into the network while informing the ENN
about the types of emergency programme currently being
implemented in the region. More field trips will be
undertaken in future. We would like to thank all those
who took time out of busy schedules to talk with Fiona
about your projects and will be following up with many
of you to encourage your contributions to Field Exchange
on project experience.
This edition of field exchange highlights the southern
Sudan 1998 crisis. David Keene provides an historical
and political analysis of events leading up to the
southern Sudan crisis. Paul Murphy and Peter Salama
wrote an overview of the crisis and resulting interventions
focusing in particular on the difficulties around co-ordinating
the humanitarian response. There is also an article
about the inattention to providing emergency selective
feeding programmes specifically for severely malnourished
adolescents and adults in southern Sudan The authors,
Steve Collins and Peter Salama, analyse why there is
a history of neglecting the specific nutritional needs
of this demographic group during acute emergencies.
Another field article by Cassandra Chapman describes
the evolution of general ration distribution methods
in southern Sudan and the gradual, and generally successful
move towards targeting general rations to women.
Our research section includes the SCF vulnerability
study in southern Sudan which gives us a better understanding
on how the Dinka themselves define vulnerability and
the implications for targeting food aid resources -
a perennially difficult issue in the context of southern
Sudan. This study, in line with another piece by Kay
Sharpe on targeting experiences in Ethiopa also included
in this edition of Field Exchange, pragmatically advocates
self-targeting within communities but area selection
by 'objective' outsiders. Caroline Gullick writes about
the importance of wild foods and addresses head on
what she sees as many of the myths and stigmas associated
with these foods. She also provided the wild food photos
for which we added colour inside pages to Field Exchange
in order to do them justice.
We have two evaluation pieces in this edition. The first
is the SRRA-OLS Task Force Review of the southern Sudan
intervention while the second is a WFP Nutrition Assessment
which focuses on the nutritional adequacy of the emergency
food aid ration allocated during this emergency.
Our two agency profiles are on agencies working in southern
Sudan - SUPRAID and SRRA.
Finally, although the vast majority of this edition
of Field Exchange is connected with southern Sudan,
there are some un-related pieces. For example, we have
an article by Tracy McGhee on SCF's response to the
recent floods in Bangladesh where the experience of
mounting a response through local partners is highlighted.
Another article by Lourdes Vasquez examines the MSF
Spain strategy of prioritising selective feeding programmes
in Mandera, north east Kenya. The author asserts that
the area has been in the grip of a chronic multi-causal
nutritional emergency for a number of years and that
nutritional security cannot be addressed through feeding
programmes alone. Implications for emergency feeding
guidelines are clearly spelt out. Enjoy this issue
of Field Exchange and look out for yourself on the
back page. Once again thanks to all who facilitated
me (Fiona) in Nairobi.
Looking forward to reactions and correspondence on this
issue. Pictures always welcome. If you write do send
a picture of either yourself or something to do with
your article.
Editors,
Fiona O'Reilly Jeremy Shoham
______________________________________________________________________
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 13:01:21 -0300 (GMT+3) From: IRIN - Central and Eastern Africa <irin-cea@ocha.unon.org> Subject: SUDAN: February Issue of Emergency Nutrition Network Newsletter [19990413]
Editor: Dr. Ali B. Ali-Dinar, Ph.D
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