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February 2007 |
India is known to be a land with enormous differences
dividing the poor and the rich. However, few people know that there is
also a great contrast there between living freely and living in fear.
The country is the scene of a number of forgotten, regional conflicts
that despite their seriousness rarely make headlines around the world.
The conflict taking place in the state of Chhattisgarh, in the heart
of India, is one of these crises. For more than 20 years, a conflict
has raged between the government and a Maoist movement.
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| © MSF - Dornapal Street |
Approximately 45,000 people have been forced to flee their homes because
of the violence. Because returning to their villages may cost their
lives, these people have sought safety in the jungle or in a camp for displaced
persons. The Dornapal camp is one of 20 such camps that have sprung
up in the past year and a half. Today Len Pulles, a nurse working with Médecins
Sans Frontières (MSF) is on her way to the camp.
Thick with tension
When MSF’s white jeep pulls into the Dantewada district in southern
Chhattisgarh, the air is thick with tension. Along the side of the road,
armed soldiers watch everything closely. Less than a day ago, a businessman
was violently killed and it seems for a moment that the team won’t
be granted permission to enter the displaced persons camp. However, after
discussions with the police in Sukma, a village on the district’s border,
it appears that the situation is safe enough and Len’s visit is allowed
to take place.
Driven away
On the way to the camp, the landscape is mostly flat with some large,
old trees, palm trees and, here and there, a small lake. Aside from a few
passing cars, including a truck that has probably been used to transport
food or supplies, the road is empty. As soon as the soldiers are out of
sight, Len can breathe a little easier. She says, “As usually happens
in conflicts, the people are the victims of the fighting. In Chhattisgarh,
people have been driven out of their villages. They lose their house, land,
cattle and cultural roots. Going back means that people have to risk their
lives. So they are condemned to a life in the camps.”
A sea of corrugated tin roofs
At first glance, Dornapal looks like a normal village. However, slowly
in the fields behind the houses one spots a sea of corrugated tin roofs.
It is only when the jeep drives through the camp entrance that one notices
how small the huts are and how closely they’re packed together. People
stand around waiting near the few available water pumps. One man carries
water to a homemade shower built by the camp’s residents. It turns
out to be nothing more than wooden planks covered with saris. A field operates
as the sanitary facility. What that means exactly becomes clear when a
young girl squats down to do her business.
Research on nutrition
Len: “The people live here in terrible, unhygienic conditions that
can lead to illness and malnutrition.” In the past few months she
has focused on the situation among children in the camp younger than five.
Today, as she has done on previous days, she visits the camp to determine
the health status of the children. “I’m busy carrying out some
research on nutrition: it’s a big challenge, but I enjoy doing it.
We may open a feeding centre. In addition, we’re going to target the
most vulnerable group in the camp: mothers and children.”
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| © MSF - water supply in Dornapal
camp |
Weighing and measuring
Despite the squalid living conditions, the atmosphere in the large
tent at the camp’s edge is relaxed and one can hear laughter. Mothers
with golden nose rings, dressed in colourful saris, sit on the tarp that
covers the ground. They wait patiently as members of a local aid organisation
distribute food. Children play or look around curiously. Recently, Len
has examined many children in this tent. She measures their height, weighs
them and tests them for malaria. While the team prepares its supplies and
Len begins to examine the children, a watchman on the edge of the camp
monitors all of the activity closely.
Facing fear every day
Women emerge from the jungle with stacks of wood on their heads and
a child herds some skinny cows. It seems like a peaceful picture, but rumours
circulate that a displaced persons camp was attacked some time ago because
it was thought to be a training camp. While it’s not visible on the
surface, Len has the impression that the camp residents live in fear every
day. In addition, some have experienced traumatic things. “In conflict
situations, it’s very common to find sexual violence,” says
Len. “We hear rumours about it now. We have to do more research and
if it is true, I hope to give that kind of help.”
The future
Once every child has been examined and the tent empties out, all of
the supplies are packed up again. It has been a long day, but Len is satisfied.
Three children were found to be malnourished and will be taken to the nearest
hospital by MSF the following day. The parents cannot afford to pay for
the trip themselves and they also can’t leave their other children.
Len: “We have made a deal with the hospital that they will take the
children now, but that can only last for one week. We’re now exploring
if it would be possible for us to take over the children’s care.
If we start a feeding centre, we would be able to give the needed assistance
to help these children become healthy again.”
MSF in Chhattisgarh
The conflict taking place in Chhattisgarh is one of India’s forgotten
regional conflicts. For more than 20 years, fighting has raged between Maoist
rebels and the state. Approximately 45,000 people have been forced to leave
their homes. Some 30,000 of them live in camps for displaced persons, the
other 15,000 people have sought refuge in the jungle.
In the Dornapal camp where some 13,500 people live, MSF is exploring the
possibility of setting up a feeding centre. Due to the conflict as well as
the area’s difficult terrain, the population living in remote villages
has little or no access to health care. MSF runs a mobile health post to
bring medical care to these people.
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