Quality of Life: an Examination of the Displacement Camps in Chad and Darfur

Quality of life: An examination of The Displacement Camps in Chad and Darfur

As you walk down the main street in Bracebridge, what do you notice? The various colors and types of vehicles that commute to and from work each day? The abundant flowers hanging from the lampposts simply used as tools for decoration? Or the numerous boutiques scattered along either side of the road where many tourists enjoy an afternoon walk, to take in the beautiful summer’s day? For one third of the citizens of Darfur, there is little to be noticed in their villages as many of these villages have been burned to the ground leaving nothing behind but the outline of their destroyed homes in soot (Christian World Service, 2009). The citizens of Darfur are currently living in times of adversity and have been throughout the past several years. After being removed from their homes, they now inhabit the assorted camps scattered throughout the area of Darfur and Chad where they suffer from the harsh conditions of these encampments due to the lack of a sufficient quality of life.

The Darfurians lived their lives with a sense of safety and daily routine but everything suddenly changed when the Janjaweed broke into their lives. Several years ago, the conflict in

Darfur (also referred to the “worst humanitarian crisis”) began as the Janjaweed started to attack the various villages throughout the area of Darfur (Unknown, 2008). The Janjaweed travelled throughout the area on horseback, by automobiles or on foot, where they continually attacked the

Africans living in Darfur from the ethnic groups of the Fur, Zagawa and Massalit. They have succeeded in removing two and a half million residents from their homes and villages (Christian

World Service, 2009). While attacking these citizens, the Janjaweed would not only kill the men, women and children but they would sometimes force them to suffer at an even deeper level.

If there was anything of value found within the villages, the Janjaweed would often take these 2 items with them. The attackers would scurry in the midst of the villages poisoning wells and stealing livestock. Women are repeatedly raped by the Janjaweed, and sometimes even killed afterwards (Human Rights Watch, 2004). The government-backed militias would then burn down thousands of homes taking entire villages at a time; leaving nothing behind for the

Darfurians that survived, except for the dirty clothes that they may have been wearing at the time

(BBC News, 2004). The Janjaweed have taken advantage of the hard work that the villagers in

Darfur have done in the years prior to this crisis to get where they are today. Everything has drastically changed in a very short time for these innocent people. The people of Darfur are not only affected physically but emotionally as well, because they have nowhere to go unless they choose to flee to live in one of the many displacements camps in order to save their lives

(Christian World Service, 2009). With nothing left, there is little opportunity for the refugees to live a better quality of life other than what is determined in the displacement camps.

As the years progress and the conflict continues, there are more and more people searching for a place to construct a home in the displacement camps. Having such a large number of people living in the refugee camps, there has been an increasing amount of overcrowding in the camps creating an unhealthy environment (MSF, 2006). The overcrowding within the camps is causing other problems as well; from food and water shortages to a lack of health care and shelters (Williams, 2007). There are also many psychological factors that occur due to the overcrowding. Refugees constantly feel stressed as they search for food and supplies; arguments arise between neighbouring huts in the camps because of this which causes tension between each other. There is also a lack of having your own space when being isolated in a small area with such a huge group of people (Williams, 2007). The smaller problems amidst the camps are all 3 tied together creating larger problems that are difficult to reduce or eliminate. These keep the quality of life at the same low level as before.

Although the displacement camps provide the residents of Darfur a new home to live in, the camps also provide a high risk of various complications that could potentially affect their quality of life, such as malnutrition (Christian World Service, 2009). The prison-like camps that are scattered across the border between Chad and Darfur lack a feeling of being at home, safe and sound. Little problems arise on a daily basis within the camps that often do not generally appear in people`s lives in most developed cities throughout North America; they lack familiarity.

The displacement camps have created a sense of insecurity for the Africans simply because they fear the violence that lies outside of these camps may lie on the inside as well. Women constantly face terrifying situations after seeking refuge when they believe that they are safe within the encampment areas. In both the Chad and Darfur camps along the border women must fetch water, fuel and animal fodder to provide for their families. During these daily tasks women are often beaten, raped and participate in sexual violence from the Janjaweed militias that guard the camps (Takirambudde, 2005). This often results in women becoming pregnant as well as receiving sexually transmitted diseases. These women that have unwillingly become pregnant from rape are frequently detained and harassed by the Janjaweed and other authorities in the area

(Takirambudde, 2005). Despite the fact that there are no actual fences preventing the refugees from escaping the camps, what is determined for them outside of the camps is not exactly appealing to the eye. In most cases the quality of life could even be worse than in the camps

(MSF, 2006). Even when the Africans try to rebuild what they have lost, the dangerous factors continue to hold them back. It is rare for a displaced person to jeopardize their lives by leaving the camp in an attempt to find some basic needs to live: firewood or forage. By leaving the 4 camp, they are able to make an income by selling items at a nearby village; however, the fear of being attacked often haunts their minds causing them to remain in the camp unable to earn a living (MSF, 2006). Having no income greatly affects the quality of life for the residents that inhabit the camps because it is extremely difficult to improve their living situations with no money.

In order to be successful in life and to take care of yourself as well as your loved ones bringing in a family income is a key component. Without having money you are not able to have the basic needs to live: food, shelter and tools to cook and get water. When a displaced person fears the unknown outside of the encampment, there is little to no opportunity to find an occupation. It is common amongst the camps for the female refugees to provide sexual services to police and male residents in order to receive protection and safety, allowing them to travel to and from the villages to sell goods (Takirambudde, 2005). In the displacement camps the refugees are doing almost everything and anything so they are able to move forward in life to make a new beginning in the camps. They are doing desperate things to fight for their own survival in the camps (MSF, 2006). Although this can improve the economic portion of the problem, it does not ameliorate the social aspect of living a poor quality of life because this can cause emotional problems.

With the countless complications occurring in the displacement camps other problems arise as a result. Having very little money or no money at all causes problems such as of a lack of food to become quite evident (MSF, 2006). It is very common among the Darfurians that are living in the various camps to have malnutrition because of a poorly balanced diet. The food that the refugees generally receive is simply rice, oil and a tiny quantity of salt (Williams, 2007).

Clearly this is not an equitable diet for humans since they are not receiving types of food from all 5 of the food groups, especially when fresh food is not delivered for up to months at a time (Evans,

2008). Residents of the displacement camps need to have meat, fruits and vegetables and dairy present in their diets (Williams, 2007). The desire for this type of food is so strong that children sometimes go hunting for small birds to be provided as their meat portion of a meal. It is also not uncommon for the Darfurians to sell some of the food that they are given so they have the money to buy the types of food that they require. Without maintaining a healthy diet, it is rather difficult to have the energy to work, go to school or perform daily tasks which potentially affect the quality of life in the camps for many people.

Education is also an incredibly important factor to raise awareness for the displaced people in the camps. This allows them to make the smartest decisions possible. Some areas in Chad are now beginning to open up schools and education centers providing an education for over forty- four thousand children that are living in displacement camps (UNICEF, 2006). These centers do not only offer a place for education but a place for protection from any more possible harm or danger from the militias. A new sense of routine and normalcy is being created for the children, helping them live a healthier life in a much more appropriate atmosphere than which is found in the camps (UNICEF, 2006). A large amount of the children in the refugee camps may not have even had the chance to get an education if they did not live in the camps. However, now that multiple camps are offering such services, an education is now an opportunity for the children.

The refugee camps are providing a jumpstart for children to gain the ability to read and write.

Not only will the schools accommodate children with an education and protection, but the buildings are equipped with clean water and sanitation which are highly valuable factors to humans (UNICEF, 2006). Clean water and sanitation are not readily available in this area compared to Bracebridge where a person can simply walk to the drug store or turn on a tap in 6 their house. Due to shortages of clean water and sanitation, diseases are spread rapidly from person to person much easier. Offering such things to the children creates hope for good promotion of hygiene as well as reducing or stopping the spread of diseases (UNICEF, 2006).

This aspect of the issue will help to improve the quality of life that the Darfurians are currently facing because the first step to a job is having the proper education. Each little step that the refugees take will help to improve the lifestyle that they are living.

While Darfurians walk through the displacement camps where they have started a new life, there is much to be noticed. They are thankful to have survived the attacks; however, their lives will never be the same after living through the worst humanitarian crisis in the world (Unknown,

2008). Each little problem the refugees are faced with on a daily basis is linked to the large issue of living a poor quality of life in the camps. Walking down the cramped paths you can see the thousands of tiny structures that the refugees now inhabit, the mass of crowded Darfurians awaiting the arrival of grain and the Janjaweed bordering the camps guarding what they have created: a home for the refugees where they scarcely live a decent quality of life. 7

Work Cited

BBC News. (2004, April 10). Sudan's Shadowy Arab Militia. Retrieved from BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3613953.stm

Christian World Service. (2009, March). Darfur Crisis. Retrieved from CWS Action Against Poverty: http://www.cws.org.nz/what-can-i-do/emergencies/darfur-crisis

Evans, M. (2008). The Darfur Camps. Retrieved from CBC News: http://www.cbc.ca/news/photogalleries/darfur/index.html

Human Rights Watch. (2004, May 6). Darfur Destroyed. Retrieved from Human Rights Watch: http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2004/05/06/darfur-destroyed

MSF. (2006, February 6). "Living Conditions, Although Improved, Feel Prison-like". Retrieved from Doctors Without Boarders: http://doctorswithoutborders.org/news/article.cfm? id=1751&cat=field-news&ref=tag-index

Takirambudde, P. (2005, April 11). Darfur: Women Raped Even After Seeking Refugee. Retrieved from Human Rights Watch: http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2005/04/11/darfur- women-raped-even-after-seeking-refuge

UNICEF. (2006, November 15). Darfur Refugees Fuel Tension in Chad. Retrieved from UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/sudan_25018.html

Unknown. (2008, July 14). The Crisis in Darfur, a Timeline. Retrieved from CBC News: http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/sudan/darfur.html

Williams, S. (2007, May 25). Camps in Darfur Overcrowded. Retrieved from suite101: http://poverty.suite101.com/article.cfm/camps_in_darfur_overcrowded 8