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South Sudan

CARE Technical Protocol for SMART Nutrition Survey, Rubkona County, Northern Liech State (May 2018)

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1.0 Background information

CARE South Sudan is a subsidiary of CARE International, a leading humanitarian and development agency fighting global poverty around the world. CARE’s operations in South Sudan dates back to the early 1980s, focusing on emergency and disaster relief to the conflict affected populations. Currently, CARE South Sudan works in three States, Unity, Jonglei and Upper Nile States, addressing both humanitarian and recovery/development needs. In development/recovery programming, CARE South Sudan focuses on four broad areas namely governance and sustainable integrated livelihoods (Food security, health and Nutrition, WASH, protection of civilians and peace building) focusing on women and youth.

Rubkona County which was targeted for the Nutrition SMART Survey is made up of ten administrative Payams (Rubkona, Budang, Norlamwel, Ngop, Kaljak, Dhor Bor, Wathjak, Nhialdiu, Panhiany and Bentiu). It is situated in northern part of South Sudan in the newly created state of Northern Liech. The county's population is estimated at 100,236 according to 2008 Sudan census. However majority of the inhabitants had been displaced across the county with some moving to Bentiu PoCs due to the protracted strife in the area that had started in December 2013.

1.1 Introduction

CARE Emergency Nutrition Project Unity State aims to provide 60% of malnourished children and women nutritional therapies and contribute to 10% reduction in Global Acute Malnutrition rate in four counties in Unity State through health facility based Outpatient Therapeutic Program (OTPs) and supplementary feeding programme. One of the Project key activities is to conduct annual nutrition surveys/ assessment in project service delivery locations in order to monitor /determine the general nutritional status among the under-five children, boys and girls, pregnant and lactating mothers.

The Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transition (SMART) survey conducted in May 2017 by CARE in Rubkona County determined a GAM prevalence rate of 17.4% (12.9-23.0 95% CI), and a SAM rate of 3.9% (2.1-7.3 95% C.I). This level of malnutrition was classified as critical according to WHO 2006 classification.