Progressive Report on 3 Islands-Jonglei State 2016 Child Protection Needs Assessment Report on Kuei, ziam ziam, and Jonglei 1 Islands, Jonglei State Date: 25th-27th February, 2016 Note: Population estimate: Kuei Island 1,500ppl Population estimate: Ziam ziam Island 1,300ppl Population estimate: Jonglei (1) Island 3,000ppl (16 locations of the same settings) Key focal person-Sub chief (Phillip Buot-0912938062)-ziam ziam island Key focal person-community leader (Michael Ayuen Duardit-0913420620)-Jonglei 1 Key focal person-community elder (Paul Amol-0913328501)-Kuei 1-Introduction This has been the first Child protection needs assessment carried out on the month of February 25th -27th 2016 by CINA organization on Kuei, ziam ziam and Jonglei 1 Islands respectively of Jalle payam Bor County since the crisis broke out on 15th December 2013; Children welfare has not been met since the war broke out among the child protection circles CPC (parents, community, NGOs, international Agencies & government)and actors have not accessed these areas attributing to lack of resources to handle children issues and difficulty in accessibility since the crisis burst into fear of insecurity. This child protection needs assessment will enable CINA and Partners address issues of children in areas of concern. 2. Background information on the crisis The 15 December 2013 Conflicts affected many people in Jonglei state specially the population in the three counties of Bor ,Duk and Twice East where, more than 90% fled to Bor County’s Islands known as Toch and Mingkaman newly created Eastern Lakes state as IDPs. According to the information obtained from the chiefs, local elders and other key informants of the community. Population of Jalle (Kuei Island) and other three counties of Jonglei state had been tremendously devastated by both warring factions and cattle raiders. Consequently, the internally displaced population living on the islands along the White Nile river (covering areas of Baidit and Jalle payams of Bor County and Maar and Ajuong payams of Twice East county) found themselves there when suspected Murle raiders attacked their villages in 2013. The crisis affected mostly women and children. In the two counties (four payams), according to local residents, over 31,180 people were displaced including about 20,214 children while over 5,000 herds of cattle were driven away. Other means of livelihood such as harvested crops, farmlands, chicken, sheep and goats, houses, boreholes, schools and health facilities were either destroyed or looted. CINA-South Sudan Page 1 Progressive Report on 3 Islands-Jonglei State 2016 When the current crisis hit Bor on 18 December 2013, most IDPs were either coming to Bor, Juba or setting up temporary shelters on the islands. As a result, they were caught in the midst of several issues and were subsequently subjected to secondary set of events. According to the local community duty bearers revealed that thousands of people travelled to the islands by makeshift rafts passion from plastic sheets and wooden sticks, though some were able to use traditional wooden dugout canoes 3. Many of whom travelled to Juba, Minkaman aka Guolyar in Lakes state and some took refuge in Kenya and Uganda. Reflecting on the history of civil war of 1991, these internal conflicts had already resulted in communities’ resilience being tested. Majority of those who crossed Sudan borders are said to be those who became refugees in these countries during the civil war of 1991 when Dr. Riek Machar first fell apart with SPLM/A. The IDPs currently living on the islands are reportedly familiar with life on the islands as majority of them are fishermen. 3. Assessment scope, team composition and methodology From 25th-February 2016, a 3 joint team of CINA staff with a recommendation from RRC Jonglei state embarked on a field visit to Twice East and Bor counties islands along the White Nile River. Logistically, the mission was organized by CINA and facilitated with funds from UNICEF. The mission team comprised of three participants mainly CINA staff. However, it is important to note here that the author of this report provided almost all the technical direction for the child protection needs assessment albeit community volunteers provided some assistance as required. Also the volunteers from the affected community were given orientation and assigned to support the assessment. Three CINA’s staffs and two Community Child Protection Volunteers covered this activity during the assessment period of three days. Composition of Assessment team members S/No. Name Title Contacts 1. Okidi Richard Okello Child protection manager [email protected] 0955003136 2. Ayuen Bol Deng Social caseworker 0955670667 3. Mabior John -YAP officer 0924358712,0955183208 Information collected from administrators and 29 respondents including chiefs, youth leaders ,children and women headed households as key informants. Individual interviews and assessor’s observation were also used as major assessment techniques to collect qualitative data. Separately, three focused group discussions were held with groups of young women and adolescent girls .Notably, population of IDPs in Bor is much higher than that in Twice East islands. Names of the volunteers who have been running the CFS in Kuei Island since its establishment in Dec.2015 S/no Name Sex Age Title 1 John Mator Amol Male 23 Team leader 2 Awel Panruar Agoot Female 19 Member CINA-South Sudan Page 2 Progressive Report on 3 Islands-Jonglei State 2016 A total population of about 1000 (700 female& 300male) individuals and 3000 (2000 boys &1000 girls) are children registered in the child friendly space CFS. Their ages range from 5-17 years 4. Status of Access and Safety Access to this island is through river transport by boats, barges and local canoes .It takes 15 hours to drive by boats and 2 days by local canoes from Bor town to Jonglei 1, 13 hours to Kuei Island and 14 hours to ziam ziam islands respectively given te fact that this time of the year, water level has reduced making movement from inland areas to the islands rather accessible as people walk some 20kms before they can use their boats or canoes. The assessment team hired a small boat of 15cc engine horsepower with a capacity to carry 6 passengers but with no shade for preventing heat or rain drops. 15cc horsepower Engine Entrance into the islands from the main river channels presents a huge challenge. Outlets are narrow or swampy and sometimes blocked by papyrus. At one instance, the team was cut off for about three hours after an island waterway was blocked by massive grass hindering use of the boat engine. CINA-South Sudan Page 3 Progressive Report on 3 Islands-Jonglei State 2016 Team wading through the thick canopies inwardly to Jonglei 1 island A sagacity of safety and security prevails along the Nile from Bor to Twice East. Local residents are armed and on alert to protect themselves from any aggression by either Murle or Nuer dissidents as well as against wild animals. Majority of people seen carrying guns are young people. They reported that cattle raiders from Murle and Lou Nuer could reach some islands around especially when water level reduces. Zain mobile communication network is active especially in the evenings in some islands. Local people use solar panels energy to charge mobile phones. Traditional clan leadership patenting from payams and bomas is in control. There is an evident absence of government agencies except in Ziam Ziam where a police post exists and a school on Kuei run by Dr Garang University. Surprisingly, there is a radio communication spot (Cordan type) between ziam ziam and Jonglei 1 where the team saw an active temporary antenna signal and a local member in the area responded proudly as being for communication purposes. Local chief & youth leaders in Jonglei 1island 5. Key findings CINA-South Sudan Page 4 Progressive Report on 3 Islands-Jonglei State 2016 A total population of about 16862 individuals including 3491 children live on the islands and approximately 230 were reached by the assessment team. IDPs reside in quarters of little pots of islands and are sparsely settled. Any distance between one island and another is covered by canoes or boats. Given the pattern of settlements, false premise has it that few people live on the islands. The IDP population is highly mobile. An estimated average of 360 persons travel on daily basis between islands, Minkaman, Bor and their original payams/bomas in search of economic opportunities, to settle marriages and visit relatives. a) Basic social services There is a total absence of social services such as health, hygiene and sanitation, clean drinking water, education, shelter, general protection (exploitation, child headed house hold or child labor, sexual harassments, corporal punishment and any other harmful traditional practices) in all sites visited. No single humanitarian organization has since provided any of the mentioned services to these populations. For instance, lack of sanitation facilities or the space to erect one compounded by widespread open defecation in water symptomizes waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea. Children bear significant portion of burden due to lack of these services. Team in ziam ziam island docking site with community duty bearers But recently only D.R John Garang Memorial University of Science and Technology (D.r. J.MUST) has taken an initiative by opening a primary school to isolated children on the island where classes range from primary one to six. At the background is kuei island landing site CINA-South Sudan Page 5 Progressive Report on 3 Islands-Jonglei State 2016 Malaria is another compound disease reported as most IDPs due to lack mosquito nets. Education facilities are absent in ziam ziam and Jonglei islands. Throughout the 3 islands visited, there is no trained teacher or school facility available except in kuei island.