Families waiting at the way-station in Kosti to travel south up the White Nile have received mosquito nets, soap, and tarpaulins.  The Nile barges are the cheapest form of transport from northern Sudan to the south and provide more space than other forms of transport to carry possessions, but lack basic amenities.  The goods will help prevent diseases in vulnerable travellers, many of whom face at least a three-week journey aboard.  Most travellers are relocating, many after years, or in some cases a generation, of living as displaced people within their own country. 

Many families use all of their resources buying passage on the barge and transporting themselves to the port and have little left to provide for basic needs.  FAR is able to help by distributing useful items such as soap and mosquito nets at the wharf, where FAR and partner organizations offer services to travellers.  FAR also runs a health clinic at the site to ensure travellers are healthy before beginning their long journey.

Malaria is an ever-present risk for travellers who will be sleeping in the open air, both on board the barges and while waiting to depart.  The mosquito nets are particularly important for children and the elderly.  The wet conditions along the Nile are a breeding ground for malaria-carrying mosquitoes, which can be fatal if left untreated.  The mosquito nets offer protection at night, when exposure to mosquitoes is most dangerous.

The barges are also without adequate sanitation facilities and many fall sick during the journey.  By providing soap to travellers, FAR is helping to quell outbreaks of preventable diseases.

FAR has recently secured additional funding from ECHO to provide chlorination tablets and water storage containers for use on the barges, as people are forced to drink directly from the Nile while they are on their journey, and hopes to be able to build water treatment facilities along the river for the returnees and local communities.