Link to slideshow: https://oxfaminternational.exposure.co/combating-cholera-in-south-sudan
Oxfam has reached more than 20,000 residents of Juba, South Sudan, as we continue to fight the cholera outbreak that is having a devastating effect on many of the city’s residents. We are repairing boreholes, as well as distributing soap, buckets and water treatment tablets. Public awareness campaigns on cholera prevention and treatment are also being conducted.
Oxfam is working with communities in Munuki, Gudele and Gondokoro, densely populated neighborhoods with little or no access to clean water. We are assisting residents by sharing information, through public campaigns and household visits, on how to prevent the spread of the disease, and the importance of seeking treatment if they fall ill.
Creative Campaigns
Public health and hygiene promotion plays a key role in fostering individual and collective ownership, and sustainable use of water and sanitation facilities. Oxfam has contributed to improved hygiene and health through public discussions and home visits on best health and hygiene practices, and educational sessions with children. Oxfam volunteer Timon Michael held a creative session in Munuki, interacting with the community members while raising awareness on the dangers of cholera.
Timon
“I already finished secondary school and I’m trying to save money to go to university, where I want to study Economics and Theology. I would like to become a bank manager in the future.”
“I joined the volunteer team two years ago to help my brothers and sisters in Juba and I really enjoy it. In my community we say, ‘If you love your people, you love yourself.’ So I apply it.”
“My experience as an actor allows me to convey messages in a more enjoyable and entertaining way. I think people learn more from what they see than from what they hear, so I try to communicate with my entire body, rather than with words.”
“It’s very important to spread awareness on good hygienic practices in South Sudan, especially in Juba city, where we have a huge gap. We need to take more action to keep our environment clean.” “I have great hopes for this country. I am sure after few years of such work, Cholera outbreaks will be reduce in the future.”
Hygiene kits
As part of Oxfam’s cholera response team, Florence Namaru and Angelina Amosa distributed hygiene kits which included buckets, soap and water treatment tablets, so that families in Munuki can stay free from disease. Such kits were distributed in all three sites targeted with this response.
Hanna and Clara
Hanna: “We already knew how dangerous cholera is. When we were in Khartoum before independence I remember being well informed about the disease and how contagious is. So we try our best here in Juba for our family.”
“We are ten in my family, and we normally drink rain water. We definitely need more treatment tablets to purify our water but they are very expensive and without help we can’t afford them.”
Clara: “It is really challenging protecting ourselves from cholera in Juba as we are continuously exposed to it. We are ten family members at home, and we normally use the rainwater to drink. Water purifiers are very expensive and without help we can’t afford them.”
“Oxfam is doing a good job distributing water treatment tablets, buckets and soap, and conducting the awareness campaigns, but at the end of the day, it’s our hands to stop cholera from spreading. Changing human behavior is the only way to improve health.”
“My biggest wish for South Sudan is more security for the civilians. When peace comes, everything will be better. Children will go to the school and will be out of the streets, there will be development and better prices in the market. We really need peace.”
Household visits
Oxfam public health promoters Ludoriu Stephen and Keneth William, visited residents in Gudele to discuss the best way to prevent the spread of of cholera, prevention and held discussions with them on cholera with the community, and agree on how to best help. One of the main issues discussed during the house hold visits were the poor access to clean water and sanitation facilities and how to respond when someone gets cholera.
Kenneth
“I used to teach in a school in my hometown Maridi, in Western Equatoria, but three years ago I lost my job due to lack of funding in the schools. I moved to Juba to look for other opportunities. I haven’t succeeded yet but want to keep active and help my community.”
“I have participated in the cholera response for the past three years and I can progress. I can tell the community is more aware than before.”
“On 31 July, just few weeks after the last fighting in Juba, I went to visit a relative in the hospital. I spent a few hours there and I ate some food and drink tea from the hospital cooks. But I remember I didn’t have soap to wash my hands and, later at night, I started feeling bad symptoms. The first night it was only diarrhoea but the following day I started vomiting and the doctors diagnosed me with cholera. I spent five days recovering in the hospital and it was a very painful process. However, that experience is helping me better explain the effects of the disease and cholera prevention to people.”
Borehole repairs
More than 55 per cent of the people in South Sudan do not have access to safe water. People walk for long distances to collect unclean water leading to sickness. Improving access to water is essential to transforming lives. In Nyakuron, Oxfam’s Stephen Mawadri repaired a broken borehole while Cecilia Marawa discusses cholera prevention and water management with the community.
Helen
“My husband and I work very hard to keep our children safe and well educated, but it’s hard, especially now when security in Juba and the rest of the country is very bad. I wash everything before giving it to my children and I don’t allow them to drink the water from the river or the rain.”
“Since Oxfam repaired the boreholes in our neighborhood, we have had access to safe water. Now, our biggest challenge is to overcome the expensive prices in the market. It’s really hard to feed my family. I try to make some money making bread at home and selling it outside.”
Community Outreach
Our public health team is spreading the word on good hygiene practices such as hand washing and cleaning of water storage facilities in various parts of the city. In Gondokoro Island, we shared messages on cholera prevention and treatment with the community, and held discussions on how best to address the underlying issues.
Asa
“I want to be pilot when I grown up, because I want see my country from the sky. When I’m with my friends, I like to play basketball. At home, we are six sisters and brothers and, it takes ten minutes to school everyday by foot.”
“We like attending classes because it’s the only way to become someone important in the future, but we lack school materials and it’s very difficult for us to learn this way. I learnt that I need to wash my hands five times a day and I try to do it. Diseases such cholera is very serious and we need to avoid them.”
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With support from European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), Oxfam has reached over 20,000 people in Juba in this response.
Photos by Albert Gonzalez Farran/Oxfam.