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Africa

South Sudan

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FRAGILITY RANKING

3rd out of 180 countries


Overview

Following decades of civil war, South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 and became the world’s newest country. But the break has not led to a more peaceful, prosperous environment. The constant threat of violence has left more than two million South Sudanese internally displaced, and meeting basic needs is a daily struggle for the vast majority of the country’s 12.3 million people.

Ethnic violence and conflict are commonplace in South Sudan, yielding instability at every turn. The country’s potential is clear – in abundant natural resources, access to trade routes, and large swaths of fertile land – but recurring fighting and weak institutions limit South Sudan’s ability to meet that potential.

From refugees to internally displaced persons to host communities, the ties that bind groups living in South Sudan are a severe shortage of necessities such as food, clean water, and safe spaces for shelter. More than 80 percent of the South Sudanese population lives on less than $1 per day, and the United Nations has declared the country’s food crisis one of the worst in the world.

Relief International began work in South Sudan in 2009, and operates in both government and opposition-controlled areas of the Upper Nile region to meet the needs of the most vulnerable communities in the grip of ongoing conflict.

Our health programs provide life-saving health and nutrition interventions through 24/7 services at hospitals and clinics in some of South Sudan’s most remote locations. We’re also combating the root causes of malnutrition through training for food-insecure families on how to establish high-nutrient vegetable gardens. Increasing access to safe water sources is also a focus of our work in South Sudan. We’re rehabilitating damaged water pumps and partnering with community hygiene promoters to provide instruction on proper water treatment and storage – a necessity for guarding against cholera and other water-borne diseases.

In a country where economic opportunity is limited but land space is abundant, the community-managed woodlots and tree nurseries we helped establish are providing a sustainable source of income. These small businesses are also reducing deforestation and the tensions that develop when there is high demand for limited resources.

“This year’s seasonal rains are delayed, leaving a record 7 million South Sudanese people facing extreme hunger – 21,000 of which are at risk of famine,” says Daniel Nyabera, Relief International’s South Sudan Country Director. “In the Upper Nile region, where we operate more than 100 nutrition sites and health facilities, we’ve seen a 22% increase in cases of acute malnutrition compared to this time last year. Our teams are providing services as quickly as we can to help nurture our patients back to good health, but more still needs to be done to address food insecurity and extreme hunger across the country.”


Our 2022 Impact in South Sudan
937K
healthcare consultations provided
633
healthcare providers trained
1.9K
people receiving job skills training
363K
people educated on healthy practices

Stories From South Sudan

Learn more about our work in South Sudan from our staff and the people we serve.

South Sudan

Rising Above The Flood Waters

In South Sudan, Relief International staff and the communities we work with pull together to ensure people can access health care even during floods.

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South Sudan

Does Betty Have the Toughest Job in the World?

Betty works around the clock as a midwife for Relief International, helping women in South Sudan to deliver their babies safely.

“I will never forget the night I helped delivery 15 babies,” says Betty.

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South Sudan

“Yesterday I started seeing rain clouds. If the rain starts early, I can only expect the worst.”

Last year RI’s health teams provided over 853,000 health consultations to people at hospitals and clinic across the Upper Nile region of South Sudan

This vital work is made exponentially more difficult by South Sudan’s extreme weather patterns.

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South Sudan

Cultivating Fruits, Vegetables and Financial Stability in South Sudan

Hassan and his family have lived in South Sudan since fleeing the armed conflict in Sudan’s Blue Nile region.

When they first arrived in South Sudan, they survived on monthly food ratios, but in 2020, Hassan took part in an RI horticultural program that gave him practical training on how to grow fruits and vegetables.

Now Hassan grows more than enough food for his family, and sells the rest at local markets.

 

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South Sudan

Training Female Entrepreneurs to be Market Leaders

In 2016, a vocational training center for both refugees and the host community was set up in Bunj. Here, 25 women are being trained in food preparation and baking.

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South Sudan

Gentil Hospital: A Safe Place for Quality Care in a Tense Border Region

Relief International began providing medical care at Gentil Hospital in 2016. Since then, no mothers’ lives have been lost during childbirth.

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South Sudan

From Sewing Machines to Livestock: Small Loans Yield Big Opportunity

Relief International’s Village Savings and Loan program comprises sixty groups of approximately 20 members. Members of the group have been able to purchase items such as a cow and a sewing machine, leading to income generating activities.

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South Sudan

Rising Above The Flood Waters

Betty-2.png

South Sudan

Does Betty Have the Toughest Job in the World?

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South Sudan

“Yesterday I started seeing rain clouds. If the rain starts early, I can only expect the worst.”

Hassan-and-Wife.jpg

South Sudan

Cultivating Fruits, Vegetables and Financial Stability in South Sudan

South Sudan. Elie Gardner/RI

South Sudan

Training Female Entrepreneurs to be Market Leaders

South Sudan. Elie Gardner/RI

South Sudan

Gentil Hospital: A Safe Place for Quality Care in a Tense Border Region

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South Sudan

From Sewing Machines to Livestock: Small Loans Yield Big Opportunity

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Betty-2.png
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Hassan-and-Wife.jpg
South Sudan. Elie Gardner/RI
South Sudan. Elie Gardner/RI
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RS11756_IMG_3096-1.jpg

Rising Above The Flood Waters

Betty-2.png

Does Betty Have the Toughest Job in the World?

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“Yesterday I started seeing rain clouds. If the rain starts early, I can only expect the worst.”

Hassan-and-Wife.jpg

Cultivating Fruits, Vegetables and Financial Stability in South Sudan

South Sudan. Elie Gardner/RI

Training Female Entrepreneurs to be Market Leaders

South Sudan. Elie Gardner/RI

Gentil Hospital: A Safe Place for Quality Care in a Tense Border Region

south-sudan-batil-140819-i.jpg

From Sewing Machines to Livestock: Small Loans Yield Big Opportunity

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Featured Project

Restoring Access to Safe Drinking Water in South Sudan

Through strategic partnerships, Relief International teams built new water supply systems in five locations across South Sudan’s Longechuk, Ulang, Nasir and Mathiang counties. This project was the first of its kind in the area, connecting communities’ access to safe drinking water.

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Make a difference today

With a gift to Relief International, you can help deliver safe drinking water. You can help provide healthcare to displaced families, far from home. You can help ensure girls and boys alike receive an education, which in turn creates paths towards employment. This all starts with you.

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