USAID South Sudan Newsletter 6/27/23

 

Pibor Community Radio Station Reopens to Promote Peace

Staff of Pibor FM being trained on the job. Photo: Ruei Hoth, USAID Shejeh Salam Activity

USAID/South Sudan Newsletter June 2023 We support community-led programs to build peace and resilience. South Sudanese Peace Activists Denounce Sexual Violence in Conflict Women in Juba perform a traditional dance to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. Photo: USAID Shejeh Salam Activity To commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, USAID mobilized traditional leaders, women, and youth groups to raise awareness and publicly denounce sexual violence. Through local organizations and individuals who promote peace, USAID holds regular peace-building dialogues and trauma-awareness events that include the sensitive topic of sexual and gender-based violence. USAID incorporates community gender-based violence awareness and trauma sessions into its activities to reduce sexual violence, by emphasizing the benefits of upholding peace and supporting reconciliation to build cohesive communities throughout South Sudan. Women and Girls-Friendly Spaces Provide Practical and Emotional Support Women and Girls-Friendly Spaces in Kajo Keji. Photo: Alight South Sudan To support women and girls affected by conflict, USAID has established Women and Girls-Friendly Spaces in Ulang County, Upper Nile State, and Kajo Keji County, Central Equatoria State, where women and girls can feel safe, socialize, benefit from peer and group counselling, and learn life skills and livelihood skills such as dressmaking, sewing bed sheets, and embroidery. These spaces also assist survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) and provide information about issues related to GBV.  Mechanized Agriculture, Improved Seed Varieties to Boost Food Production USAID provided ox plows and improved seeds to Tiiho Tiet seed multiplication group in Majai Boma, Kaangi Payam, Jur River County, to boost agricultural production. Photo: USAID Resilience through Agriculture in South Sudan Activity To increase food cultivation, USAID is supporting 10,579 farmers in nine counties with mechanized farming using tractors and ox plows. More than 80 hectares have been plowed, and 129 hectares of land have been cleared in preparation for plowing. In Duk County, for example, USAID procured 68.7 metric tons of agriculture inputs, including improved and fortified climate-resilient seed varieties for farmers to boost their agricultural production and improve food security in their communities. Analysis by the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network indicates the widespread severity of food insecurity across South Sudan in the current lean season, intensified by the entry into South Sudan of more than 130,000 people who fled conflict in Sudan since April.  USAID Examines Effects of Floods on Displaced Population in Bentiu  Aerial view of Bentiu internally displaced persons camp surrounded by flood water earlier this month. A USAID team visited Unity State's Bentiu internally displaced persons camp this month to monitor and assess food security, and health, water, sanitation, and hygiene services. Floods continued to surround the camp for the third consecutive year, which has negatively affected humanitarian conditions in the camp. USAID is working with partners to preposition food assistance ahead of this year's rainy season and is piloting more durable latrine designs to reduce waterborne diseases.  USAID Rehabilitates Water Yard, Restoring Safe Water for 2,500 People  USAID handed over to the Nakeleba Water Management Committee on June 2 St. Mary’s water yard in Kapoeta North County. Photo: Lomoli Samson/USAID Afia Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Activity USAID this month handed over to St. Mary's community in Kapoeta North County a rehabilitated water yard that had not been functioning for more than three years. It will provide safe water to an estimated 2,500 people in Riwoto Payam. Before rehabilitating the water yard, USAID helped the community form the Nakeleba Water Management Committee to manage the infrastructure on behalf of the community and trained the committee on operations and maintenance and how to manage community contributions to keep this asset operational and sustainable. The Water Management Committee's executive director said the community greatly appreciates USAID's efforts in providing water to nearby villages that were badly lacking water. USAID Delivers Vaccines to Protect the Health of Hard-to-Reach Communities A child in Pokula village, Yei County, is vaccinated as part of USAID efforts to bring vaccines and health information to hard-to-reach communities in South Sudan. Photo: CORE Group Partners Project One of the factors limiting vaccinations in South Sudan is the challenge of accessing health care in the largely rural country. In Pokula village, a population of 900 households in Yei County, the only health facility was nonfunctional, so residents used to walk nine miles to access health services in neighboring Lainya County. To help improve immunization rates and accessibility, USAID has brought services to Pokula and other hard-to-reach communities. This month, community health workers immunized 40 children under age five in Pokula for measles, tetanus, pneumonia, and polio, and provided information to adults to understand the benefits of being vaccinated for COVID-19. “Children and women in our community will be safe from vaccine-preventable diseases as a result of bringing immunization services to us,” said Mabe John, a resident of Pokula. USAID Awards Grants to Innovative Youth to Increase Access to Information Charles Wote of Eye Radio receives a small grant at the Innovation Hackathon USAID awarded five young South Sudanese with small grants to implement ideas that will increase access to credible information for South Sudanese communities mainly in Leer, Budi, Wau, and Juba counties. The winning projects, selected at a competitive “Innovation Hackathon,” included ideas to train communities on the use of traditional puppetry as a form of community mobilization, training citizen journalists to fill information needs, and bringing information to remote communities through bicycles fitted with megaphones and amplifiers. The first, second, and third prize winners each received $4,000. The fourth and fifth prize winners received $3,500 each. The Innovation Hackathon will be held annually to engage diverse South Sudanese, including women and youth, to increase access to credible, accurate, and reliable information.  Peter Atem, who claimed the top spot with his Blue Messenger Bicycles pitch, said, “I am not a winner but a team player, and I will lead my team from the back to increase access to reliable information.” Pibor Community Radio Station Reopens to Promote Peace Staff of Pibor FM being trained on the job. Photo: Ruei Hoth, USAID Shejeh Salam Activity Pibor FM community radio, the only community radio in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, has resumed broadcasts with support from USAID after the station's transmitter was damaged in 2019. New equipment was installed and producers and technical staff were trained on the smooth running of the station, which reaches more than 50,000 people with news and information about peace, health, gender equality, and the importance of sending children to school. The station will also address issues of cattle theft, child abduction, and communal violence, which are common in Pibor. “Youths, please listen to us and go back to school, and do not engage in criminal behavior or child abduction. These are shameful practices that can never bring development to our communities,” GPAA Chief Lokoli Ame Bullen told Pibor FM at the station's relaunch. Medication to Prevent HIV Before Exposure Is Reaching Communities At Risk A clinician assists a patient at a USAID-supported clinic. Photo: USAID Advancing HIV & AIDS Epidemic Control Activity USAID’s efforts to reduce spread of HIV in South Sudan include supporting the Ministry of Health’s launch of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)—antiretroviral drugs to prevent HIV infection before exposure to the virus. Last September, USAID’s Advancing HIV & AIDS Epidemic Control Activity trained 95 health care providers and 34 promoters of PrEP, which is now integrated into USAID's support for HIV prevention, care, and treatment for people at risk of acquiring HIV, with 465 current clients.