South Sudan: Food Security and Livelihood Project Manager

Oct 23, 2018 | Premiere Urgence Internationale
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Première Urgence Internationale is a non-governmental, non-profit, non-political and non-religious international aid organization. Our teams are committed to supporting civilians’ victims of marginalization and exclusion, or hit by natural disasters, wars and economic collapses, by answering their fundamental needs. Our aim is to provide emergency relief to uprooted people in order to help them recover their dignity and regain self-sufficiency. The association leads in average 190 projects per year in the following sectors of intervention: food security, health, nutrition, construction and rehabilitation of infrastructures, water, sanitation, hygiene and economic recovery. PUI is providing assistance to around 7 million people in 21 countries – in Africa, Asia, Middle East, Eastern Europe and France.

Humanitarian situation and needs:

In the Republic of South Sudan (SSD), more than 4 years of armed conflict have shattered the lives of millions of people. As of December 2017, there are 1.9 million people Internally Displaced (IDPs) out. Among IDPs, about 200,000 people have found refuge in UNMIS PoCs. There are 2 million refugees in neighbouring countries.

More than three quarter (76 percent) of the households across the country are facing moderate to severe food insecurity, related to poor economy, high food prices and insecurity. Malnutrition rates are persistently high.

Health service delivery is depending on NGOs and in areas with increased number of IDPs and insecurity it remains a challenge with increased risks to epidemic prone diseases.

Previous Northern Bahr el Ghazal (NBeG) (where PUI is operating since Feb. 2015) is largely neglected by humanitarian assistance because of their peripheral situation with regards to the armed conflict. However, malnutrition rates have been persistently high and available health care is limited.

Actions in the field:

PUI has been operating in South Sudan since February 2015 and intends to extend the coverage of its current intervention. PUI is addressing urgent needs of the most vulnerable in the targeted areas, through an integrated approach through the following strategic objectives:

  • Improvement of the access to health care services
  • Reduction of the risks associated with food insecurity and undernutrition

Other strategic objectives will be considered in 2018 and will be used to define complementary multi-sectoral needs assessment in the area where PUI is already operational but may also cover new counties/states depending on the evolution of the political/security situation. The sectors PUI would like to investigate are the following: Shelter & NFIs, Water Sanitation & Hygiene, Rehabilitation & Construction and Economic Recovery.

Since 2015 PUI has implemented the following projects in the county of Aweil North (previous NBeG State):

  • Access to Primary Health Care services:

A Primary Health Care Centre has been fully operational in Malual Centre Payam providing health care to all age groups, including sexual reproductive health. This has been complemented with outreach health activities especially in the malaria season, reaching high numbers of beneficiaries. The targeted area is virtually free from other type of humanitarian intervention. This project has been funded by ECHO DG. For 2018 PUI has planned to expand the health services with and essential health care package through outreach activities, integrating health and nutrition, targeting children under 5 and PLW with a specific focus on preventive care and health promotion in boma’s where PUI also provides nutrition services.

  • Nutrition

PUI provides nutrition services according to the Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) protocol at PHCC level and through outreach activities, which includes Out-patient Therapeutic Program (OTP) and Targeted Supplementary Feeding Program (TFSP) for children between 6 and 59 months as well as pregnant and lactating women (PLW), with the support of ECHO, UNICEF, WFP, CDCS and GIZ. In 2017 PUI increased the number of Nutrition sites from 4 to 11. At Majak Kaar PHCC PUI runs a Stabilization Centre (SC) for children suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) with complications, which also serves as a referral site for OTPs and TSFPs run by PUI and other partners. In 2018 PUI is still expanding its nutrition services especially to hard to reach areas.

  • Food Security:

PUI started with food distributions targeting vulnerable households. The mission has done a multi sectoral needs assessment with the aim to assess the needs and identify root causes of the continuous deteriorating nutritional status of the population in Aweil North in 2017. The results has given input to proposals. In 2018 PUI started implementing a FSL program in 18 bomas in Aweil North, including the villages where PUI runs a health and nutrition program, integrating FSL into the existing health and nutrition program.