The Republic of South Sudan became the world’s newest nation in July 2011. Only two years after its creation, a civil war broke out leading to great loss of life and mass displacement.
The signature of the revitalized peace agreement in 2018 brought cautious optimism although many areas still see high levels of insecurity. Resource scarcity, long-term severe food insecurity, and normalization of the use of violence to resolve conflict contribute to the ongoing tensions. Nearly 4 million people remain displaced, with 2.3 million refugees hosted by the neighboring countries and more than 1.6 million displaced internally. Only 334,828 people have returned to the country since 2017. Barriers to return often include concerns over safety and security, poor basic service provision, and lack of work opportunities.
Over four million South Sudanese remain displaced following years of violent conflict that resulted in one of the most devastating humanitarian crises in recent history. The revitalized peace agreement of 2018 brought hope, however, increasing number of people across the country are in need of humanitarian assistance, facing significant food insecurity, protection concerns and lack access to basic services. Peace remains fragile, however, pockets of stability have emerged.
Acted South Sudan operates in eight out of 10 states of South Sudan and employs a flexible approach which acknowledges the coexistence of the need for emergency response, and early recovery resilience building with the potential for further stabilization of communities through long-term programming.
Acted static and mobile teams provide emergency food and shelter relief, WASH assistance, and Camp Coordination and Camp Management services to displaced communities in refugee and IDP camps, as well as in informal settlements. At the same time, Acted works with the communities towards long-term resilience through variety of livelihood interventions focused on improved agricultural practices, provision of agricultural inputs, building up productive infrastructure, market linkages and access to capital through saving groups.
Since September 2020, Acted South Sudan embarked on a five-year long project rooted in the global THRIVE flagship initiative. The project focuses on the Western Equatoria state, the breadbasket of South Sudan, with a potential to support multiple hubs of resilience. Acted’s intervention will boost local production and value chains by building up infrastructure to commercialize agricultural production and ultimately increase the availability of food for the local markets. Acted will also invest into local businesses and cooperatives to facilitate market linkages to increase trade and commerce between these productive areas.
Additionally, Acted will build the capacity of local institutions to be able to provide and maintain services and infrastructure for the benefit of the whole community.