South Sudan – Emergency Water Sanitation and Hygiene – World Relief Canada 2017

March 2017 – In 2017 an estimated 7.5 million people across South Sudan are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection across the country as a result of armed conflict inter-communal violence economic crisis disease outbreaks and climatic shocks. Approximately 1.85 million people are internally displaced within South Sudan and over 1.4 million South Sudanese have sought protection in neighbouring countries. The civil war as well as erratic rainfall in some areas have resulted in 4.6 million people projected to require food assistance with malnutrition rates over emergency thresholds. Outbreaks of cholera measles and hepatitis E have strained an already overwhelmed health system. Humanitarian access remains restricted in many conflict areas and large numbers of people are accessible only by air drops. With GAC’s support World Relief Canada is providing emergency water sanitation and hygiene services for up to 46 992 conflict-affected people in Jonglei State. Project activities include: (1) rehabilitating 46 boreholes hand pumps and drilling 20 new boreholes and fitting with hand pumps; (2) training 175 community sanitation resource persons to promote community hygiene and latrine construction; (3) training of 396 village Hygiene Promotion Resource Persons to promote hygiene activities using Child to Child approach; (4) training 66 Village Water User Committees (WUC) for all newly drilled flushed and rehabilitated boreholes where there is a functioning hand pump.

The expected immediate outcomes for this project include: (1) increased access to adequate and safe drinking water; (2) increased access to sanitation facilities and relief items; (3) increased awareness of the importance of proper hygiene to maintain and improve health; and (4) increased skills in water resource management. The expected ultimate outcome is lives saved suffering alleviated and human dignity maintained in countries experiencing humanitarian crises or acute food insecurity.