SOUTH SUDAN JOINT RESPONSE

About the Crisis

Humanitarian needs in South Sudan are mainly driven by the impacts of years of conflict and exacerbated by the impact of climate change. A new threat came into focus as the global COVID-19 pandemic spread in the country in 2020. The COVID-19 outbreak came against the backdrop of an already dire humanitarian situation and is much more than a health crisis. Access to essential services, including health care, education, water and sanitation, as well as protection and legal services, was already limited and much of the service infrastructure was damaged, destroyed or closed in 2020. People’s physical and mental wellbeing, living standards and coping mechanisms are expected to further deteriorate, and some 8.3 million people across the country are estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance in 2021, 54% of which are children.

The Dutch Relief Alliance response

In 2021, seven member organizations of the Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA), together with 9 national partners, continue to work together to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to the people who suffer most. The program will also support efforts in containing and preventing the spread of COVID-19 while employing a COVID-19 adapted approach to respond to the ongoing emergency. The DRA partners joined forces to provide over 131.000 people with FSL (Food Security and Livelihoods), WASH, Multi-Purpose Cash, Nutrition and Protection Support in different parts of South Sudan, namely in Aweil East, Koch, Malakal, Fashoda, Wau and Pibor.  More specifically, the project will see that:

• 75.630 people will be provided with resources to start and rebuild their livelihoods.
• 45.900 people will be provided with relief food distribution, including in IPC5 affected communities.
• 67.900 people will benefit from the provision of clean water, functional sanitation facilities and awareness raising around good hygiene practices. This includes key messages on COVID-19 prevention measures.
• 11.100 people will receive cash to meet their immediate needs.
• 18.624 children will be screened for malnutrition and 3954 children will be treated for acute malnutrition.
• 79.272 people will benefit from protection measures, of which 15.080 children will be provided with structured recreational activities to strengthen resilience, coping mechanisms and wellbeing.