Program Info
- Program established: 2012
- Staff: 5
- Target Program Areas/Regions: Jubek State, Rumbek Lakes State
- Core Program Areas:
- Food Security and Resilient Livelihoods
- Education for Marginalized Communities
- Disaster Risk Reduction
- Sub-Regional Field Offices: Rumbek Field Office
Office Info
Country Director – Isaac Bwire
Address:
Hai Mission,
Opposite Juba National Stadium after Bishop Wyne next to MSF compound
Juba, South Sudan
Phone: +211 955 752094
Email: southsudan@old.iirr.org
Challenges and Opportunities
In July 2011, South Sudan became an independent country after over 20 years of guerrilla warfare that claimed the lives of at least 1.5 million people and displaced 4 million more. The conditions in South Sudan are still fragile following this civil conflict, which continues to play out in more isolated tribal disputes and in the capital, Juba. The new nation now faces resultantly weak infrastructure, low literacy rates, and stagnant market development. South Sudan particularly struggles to provide food, livelihoods, nutrition security and quality education for its Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and host communities. South Sudan contains vast arable land that can be used to better the economic and nutrition status of 85% of households in the country. Limited access to machinery and the high cost of labor, however, have left most of the land untended. This dearth of farming contributes to 40% of the population being food insecure and 40% of children below five years old being stunted. Upon claiming independence, South Sudan lost access to an organized public education system, leaving a ratio of 100 pupils to one teacher throughout the country and dropping literacy rates for children over 15 to 27%. Most children live a pastoralist lifestyle, meaning they are always on the move and cannot participate in schools designed for static communities. Young girls bear the brunt of these education issues, with a primary school completion rate of only 4%.
How IIRR Helps
- Providing pastoralists with tools to improve their livelihoods.
- Promoting Bio-Intensive Gardening programs in schools to teach climate-resilient agricultural skills and healthy nutritional practices.
- Establishing village community banks to provide entrepreneurs, farmers and small business owners
Partnerships:
- Lake State Department of Agriculture, Animal Resources , and Fisheries
- Lake State Ministry of Education
- National Ministry of Livestock
- National Ministry of Education
- Cordaid
- Education and Food Security and Livelihood Cluster Programs
Funding:
- UNFAO
- UNESCO
- Presbyterian Hunger Program
Important Facts and Figures
(2016-2018)
- 1,500 children (870 girls and 630 boys) equipped with climate resilient agriculture skills and better nutrition through the BIG Program.
- 2,000 pastoralists (1,216 females and 784 males) participated in Pastoralist Education Programs (PEP).
- 20 Village Community Banks were created
- 200 development staff (125 male and 75 female) trained at Applied Learning Centers.
- 120 members from pastoralist cattle camps trained on proper milk handling, including value addition and marketing skills.
- 30 youth trained as Community Animal Health Workers.
- 64 children and youth trained in how to tend to beehives and sell honey.