In Sudan: NCA mentoring the committees to demand rights and meet communities' needs
Shibab Village Committee provides a forum where community members may disseminate important messages and address critical issues, such as sanitation, health, and savings. Collectively, members of the club come up with action plans and provide local solutions for the challenges their community faces.
The Shibab Committee was formed in 2017 by NCA’s national partner, SOS Sahel, with the intention of monitoring and overseeing the village's water services. However, the committee progressively evolved into a collective action group to broaden its scope of work that now includes the coordination and execution of all initiatives and projects supported by NCA and other organizations.
The committee includes 31 members women, men, and youth, divided into three groups. One group works on the agricultural extension and the promotion of modern farming methods; also, there are the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene group; and an Awareness and Education group.
Each group plays its role in upgrading the village community with joint efforts, all of which are directed towards urging collective action and mobilizing the community to demand government entities to carry out their duties regarding water, education, and other services.
The first of the committee’s activities was setting a tariff for the operating cost of the water station, and it was keen on the station’s of maintenance operations and the purchase of spare parts to ensure the sustainability of the water supply. It also worked to mobilize the community to preserve the station’s assets from damage and loss. The Committee regularly holds cultural forums and presents theatrical performances to discuss health, education, and coexistence issues.
The committee is now overseeing the construction of the fish farm, which is being carried out by another NCA’s national partner, Darfur Development and Reconstruction Agency. In addition, the committee collects the proceeds of the lending package from the beneficiaries in previous years -- those who benefited from the Savings and Internal Lending component as part of the Resilience, Livelihoods and Natural Resource Management project with funding from the Norwegian Agency for International Development (NORAD).
Hassan Ali, head of the committee, says we plan to achieve food self-sufficiency for the village through the integration of domestic sustenance, “by offering meat and milk, we hope to provide the village’s residents with balanced nourishment. We will benefit from a wide variety of foods thanks to the fish farm, which will help prevent malnutrition among children, pregnant, and lactating women.”
NCA empowers individuals and communities by giving them agency and voice, and the capability to exercise their rights. In Sudan, NCA is mentoring committees and local organizations to work together for common interests, addressing the needs defined by the rights holders themselves.
