On 9 July 2011 South Sudan became an independent country following a referendum in which its people voted overwhelmingly to separate from Sudan.
Energy and commitment are needed from South Sudan’s leaders and the international community if its people are to build a secure future.
Conflict: Sudan’s second civil war ended after two decades in 2005 when the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed. But intertribal fighting and violence perpetrated by rebel groups in South Sudan have displaced hundreds of thousands since 2005.
Poverty: South Sudan is one of the poorest regions in the world with basic services like schools and clinics failing to meet its population’s needs. Girls growing up there have a higher chance of dying in childbirth than of completing their education.
Hunger: Suffering from both prolonged drought and devasting floods, around 15 per cent of South Sudan’s population is acutely malnourished.
Our work
Our work focuses on supporting our partners to build a secure and dignified future for people across South Sudan. They do this through:
• helping communities to develop more secure livelihoods
• responding to emergencies and helping people to prepare for them to reduce their impact
• addressing stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV, promoting caring attitudes towards them and ensuring that people have the knowledge to protect themselves and others from the virus
Our partners
• Mundri Relief and Development Association (MRDA) have been improving education including through training teachers. They have been recognised by both UNICEF and the government for their very high quality teacher training.
• Through providing home-based care, the Southern Sudan Network of People Living with AIDS helps hundreds of people who have become seriously ill access treatment while also supporting them to come to terms with their status. At the same time our partners are supporting Christian and Muslim religious leaders are working with their communities to counter the stigma and discrimination associated with HIV and AIDS.
• The Equatoria Women Association is working with groups of women and men, to help them better understand, deal with and prevent gender-based violence.
More South Sudan content
Working towards a reconciled Sudan: how the Episcopal Church of the Sudan is promoting peace at local and international level
Back to school: how partners ECS, MRDA and Hope Agency for Relief and Development (HARD) are improving the prospects of children in South Sudan
Rebuilding slideshow: as more people displaced during Sudan’s civil wars return to the south, Christian Aid is supporting partners to strengthen essential services
What you can do
• Help us to respond to food shortages in South Sudan by donating.
• Take action to help eradicate poverty and injustice across the world.
External links
We recommend the following English-version external links:
Education in southern Sudan: MRDA website
The role of churches in Sudan: ECS website
