South Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SSHF) Dashboard - 1st Quarter 2017

$22.5 MILLION ALLOCATED FOR FAMINE AND DISPLACEMENT RESPONSE

In March, the South Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SSHF) allocated US$22.5 million to top priority frontline projects, providing a vital injection of resources as humanitarian needs continued to grow. The first standard allocation was strictly targeted to ensure optimum use of the available funds. Twenty-five priority counties were identified, based on an analysis of the severity of needs, conflict and displacement, with the highest priority given to food security, nutrition, health and WASH projects in the famine-affected and famine-risk counties of Leer, Mayendit and Koch, with protection as a cross-cutting priority. After a rigorous selection process, 85 projects were selected for funding which address the most urgent life-saving needs in the prioritized counties. In famine-affected and at-risk areas, projects were selected which promote cross-sectoral synergies, ranging from treatment acute of malnutrition, provision of seeds and tools, and combatting communicable diseases, to school feeding and education in emergency activities (recognising that schools are zones of peace which may protect children from the worst of conflict and famine), child protection, and prevention and response to gender-based violence. The allocation prioritised Nutrition (21 per cent), WASH (17 per cent),
Health (16 per cent) and Food Security and Livelihoods (10 per cent) activities, while also providing funding to common services (11 per cent) to support the transportation of aid workers and supplies, including to some of the hardest-to-reach areas. Front-line NGO responders received 74 per cent of the allocation, including 26 per cent for national NGOs with presence on the ground in hard-to-access locations. This was the highest proportional amount provided to national NGOs in a single allocation since the SSHF was established, and reflects progress against the ambitious targets agreed to through the Grand Bargain at the World Humanitarian Summit. This accomplishment was in part achieved by the elimination of eligibility for grants that would provide pass-through funding, meaning that more funding is going directly to frontline actors.