Water, Sanitation, and Disaster Support in South Sudan
Peace Winds began supporting the people of southern Sudan in 2006 before South Sudan gained independence. Now, our teams continue to provide water supply, sanitation, and livelihood aid to refugees, displaced people, and the communities that support them. Programs are carried out in Central Equatoria, where the capital Juba is located, as well as Upper Nile and Northern Bahr el Ghazal, which border Sudan.
Support Following Sudan Crisis
Sudanese children living in Gorom Settlement
In response to the Sudan Crisis that erupted in April 2023, thousands of people have fled violence and armed clashes in Sudan for neighboring South Sudan. Among these are refugees originally from South Sudan who are now returning to their home country in the midst of the crisis. Peace Winds has been working with partners in the region to aid refugees and returnees through food distribution, water and hygiene programs, and livelihood programs.
Supporting Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene
Over the past several years, heavy rains exacerbated by climate change have caused flooding and serious damage to homes, crops, livestock, and water wells in South Sudan. People are forced to drink water from rivers and reservoirs, and since open defecation is also a problem, diseases spread easily.
In the fall of 2022, this problem was compounded by clashes between armed groups in Fashoda County in the Upper Nile district of South Sudan. Thousands of people were forced to flee their homes as a result of the violence, with many evacuating to nearby Melut County. In response, an emergency camp for displaced persons was established. Peace Winds has been working with local aid organizations to provide emergency water and sanitation support in both Melut and Juba Counties where already crowded camps continue to see an influx of internally displaced people.
Overcrowded camps like these often lack access to clean water or safe toilets and showers. In addition to educating residents on how to use and repair existing water wells in three of Juba’s settlements for internally displaced persons, Peace Winds repaired bathing areas and toilets. The result has been improved sanitation throughout the camps as well as safer, more private spaces for residents to bathe, especially women.
Beginning in April 2023, Peace Winds began working to provide the same kind of support for displaced people in Melut County. Relief efforts include building and repairing water wells, building new sanitation facilities such as toilets and showers, and educating residents on proper toilet use and hand washing.
Agricultural Support
From 2020 to 2021, Peace Winds supported farmers in southeastern South Sudan whose crops had been destroyed by swarms of desert locusts. Recovery efforts included distributing new seed and farming tools, supporting farmland development with tractors and cattle, and building a grain warehouse to store harvested crops.
