With the signing of the peace agreement in January 2005, Sudan is facing its first moment of peace in 21 years. The road to recovery, self-sufficiency and meaningful peace in an area absolutely devastated by war, will be a long one. CRS is one of the largest agencies working in southern Sudan, where it has worked in coordination with local partners since the early 1970s. CRS is known as a pioneer member of Operation Lifeline Sudan, a consortium of United Nations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) founded in 1989 to provide ongoing relief to southern Sudan.
CRS program focus in Southern Sudan:
Agriculture: To improve the livelihood and food security of communities in southern Sudan through building self-reliance in the agriculture sector, while maintaining and improving the natural resource base for future generations. Programs in this sector include seed fairs, farmer-led experimentation, promotion of ox-plow technology, support to farmers' associations and agricultural networks, and the introduction of improved varieties of cassava, sweet potato, and peanuts.
Education: To ensure equitable access to quality education through capacity building of communities, civil society, and local schools. The programs support school infrastructure and materials, teacher training, school feeding, school income generation activities, and education policy and curriculum development.
Health: To work with specialized health organizations, both local and international, in order to utilize their unique skills to address health problems arising in local communities. The programs address nutrition, health education, water and sanitation, and capacity building. Health education classes are implemented through feeding centers, schools, and household visits.
Peacebuilding: To support the grassroots peacebuilding activities of Justice and Peace Committees throughout southern Sudan, and to facilitate advocacy at regional and international levels on issues relating to peace and justice. These programs work to facilitate the integration of peace education and peacebuilding initiatives into the curricula and overall activities of schools in southern Sudan.
Emergency Relief: To provide critical food, clean water, shelter and other essentials to communities and populations on the move, displaced and/or in need. CRS also assesses what it will take for communities to regain self-sufficiency. Emergency needs will likely increase as displaced communities return to southern Sudan following the signing of the peace agreement.
A Chart of CRS Programs in Southern Sudan
The following chart of 2003 CRS programs shows the magnitude of efforts taking place on the ground-and all that can happen in just one year. A 2004 and 2005 outline of CRS relief efforts and beneficiaries in southern Sudan will be available shortly.
|
PROGRAM
|
LOCATION
|
BENEFICIARIES
|
| Agriculture | ||
| Farmer-led promotion of cassava, sweet potato, groundnut, animal traction, extension services | Rumbek, Labone, Ikotos, Nimule | 675 contact farmers, 3,500 received agriculture training and extension |
| Seed Fairs | Labone, Ikotos, Nimule, Pacong (Rumbek), Tambura | 1,707 beneficiaries and 394 sellers. 9% of sellers were women |
| Economic Rehabilitation Program | Tambura, Maridi, Yambio, Mundri, Yei, Kajo Keji, Ezo, Nimule, Rumbek, Tonj, Cuiebet, Yirol | 10 County Development Committees (CDCs), 316 beneficiaries |
| South Sudan Agriculture Revitalization Program | Yei, Nzara, Marial Lou, Kagelu, Boma, Rumbek | 10 members of the PSC, 17 members of the TTF and the secretariat, which comprises five people. SPLM, SRRC and USAID as the donor |
| Education | ||
| Education Rehabilitation Program | Eastern and Western Equatoria, Bahr el Ghazal and Upper Nile | 9 PTAs, 3,000 pupils received textbooks |
| School Feeding | Eastern Equatoria, South Bor County | 187,688 students |
| Health | ||
| Community Health and Nutrition: Supplementary Feeding Centers, Therapeutic Feeding Centers, Health Education,and Nutrition Feeding | Labone, Nimule, Isoke, Kapoeta | 5,000 community members per month receive health education, 2,100 children under five and 500 pregnant and lactating mothers per month receive nutrition feeding, and 46,389 children are served through the SFCs and TFCs, 230 community health workers trained |
| Primary Health Care | Kapoeta, South BorCounty, and ToritCounty | 190,000 beneficiaries |
| Water and Sanitation | Rumbek, Ezo, Labone | 12,200 community members |
| Peacebuilding | ||
| Sudan / Uganda Cross Border Peacebuilding Initiative | Eastern Equatoria and Northern Uganda | 49 representatives of churches, communities, and local and international organizations |
| Support to Equatoria Women's Congress | Eastern and Western Equatoria | 300 women |
| Emergency | ||
| Emergency Operations /Disaster Relief | Magwi and Torit Counties, Eastern Equatoria | 163,000 beneficiaries, 210,000 assisted through partner |