3rd April 2017, Juba – Peace Winds Japan (PWJ) in partnership with The Health Support Organization (THESO) held a ceremony of handing over school sanitation facilities and 3 pit latrines with ventilation to Gudele West Basic School. This program was funded by the Government of Japan through Japanese Platform.
PWJ and THESO have jointly been delivering both emergency and developmental WASH services to the needy populations in Juba PoCs and to IDPs and their host community in Gumbo since 2014 as well as to people in Bor West County since 2016.
In 2016, the Government of Japan disbursed $1.25 million to PWJ to undertake Water, Sanitation and hygiene (WASH) activities with THESO to improve access to safe water and to promote hygiene practices through educational activities and construction of sanitation facilities. PWJ and THESO have so far installed 10 new boreholes and rehabilitated 17 hand pumps in villages in Bor West and Juba, including Gudele, with poor access to safe water.
“Establishing a good environment for sanitation at school is quite necessary for students to sustain their healthy school life. I would like people to consider our contribution of toilet facilities not merely in terms of hygiene promotion but as education promotion. Those facilities will attract many more students to school and encourage them to learn how to keep high hygiene practices to use toilets properly,” said Kyoko Inoue, PWJ’s South Sudan Country Representative.
Jeff Okello, CEO of THESO, the South Sudan based implementer said, “THESO is really grateful for the continuous support from the people and the Government of Japan. We request other donors to emulate Japan in supporting THESO’s evidence-driven, culturally-sensitive, innovative public health promotion approach. THESO aims to better assist the Government of South Sudan in setting policies and priorities as well as achieving Sustainable Development Goals. “
Japanese Ambassador to South Sudan, Kiya Masahiko, said “Access to clean, safe water and enhancement of hygiene at school not only help pupils concentrate on studies and achieve higher goals but promote health and development of an entire community.”
Peace Winds Japan (PWJ) is a Japanese non-governmental organization, dedicated to the support ofpeople in distress and threatened by conflict, poverty or other turmoil, through providing humanitarian relief and assisting restoration of community’s social foundations.
The Health Support Organization (THESO) is a leading South Sudanese nonprofit organization with international footprint in Africa, dedicated to saving lives and alleviating suffering through integrated basic health services (health, nutrition & WASH) and healthcare training.
For more information, please contact below:
Jeff Okello, THESO (Juba and Nairobi), at +211-955-065-096 / +254-734-642-161 or via jeffokello@me.com
Kyoko Inoue, PWJ (Nairobi), at +254-708-932-018 or via kyoko_inoue@peace-winds.org
Yasuo Matsunami, Economic Affairs and Development Cooperation, Embassy of Japan in South Sudan, at
+211 956 003 152 or via yasuo.matsunami@mofa.go.jp