A University of Ulster student has been making a real difference to the lives of the people of Darfur in war-torn Sudan.

Annette Hearns, a student on the MSc Disaster Relief Healthcare programme, works for aid agency, Concern and she has been providing life-saving food and advice in what the UN has declared as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Annette is the emergency co-ordinator for Concern’s health and nutrition programme and has the difficult task of improving education, sanitation and nutrition in the area.

“Malnutrition is rarely only about food, there are so many factors involved such as hygiene and sanitation,” said Annette.

“We are trying to address all these issues through our work in this remote part of Sudan. At one of our camps in Krenik, where we distribute food once a week, I saw a mother whose child was severely malnourished. She said her whole family suffered from sickness and diarrhoea.

“With help from Concern’s nutrition team her child soon recovered and her family’s health improved after we showed her simple techniques to purify the well water before drinking. Minha now comes to the camp regularly and helps us education other local women about the importance of nutrition and sanitation.

“Our job is to build capacity so we are no longer needed in Darfur and can leave the project to be run by the national staff. All of the team are ordinary people who are now part of the most highly trained nutrition team in the state.”

Annette is due to return home to her native Kildare for Christmas and is looking forward to spending time with her family and friends.

Pat Deeny, Course Director for the MSc Disaster Relief Healthcare programme at UU’s Magee campus said: “This is just one example of the essential work our students and graduates do. 250 million people are affected by disasters worldwide every year and many of these are in conflict zones such as Sudan. I am very proud of the contribution our students and graduates make to humanitarian crises the world over.”

For further information, please contact:

Trina Porter
Telephone: 028 71675511
Email: Trina Porter