Water, Sanitation, and Disaster Support in South Sudan

Peace Winds began supporting the people of South Sudan in 2006 when the country’s 20-year-long civil war came to an end. Peace Winds has helped refugees and displaced people return to and rebuild their homes, install water wells, and build sanitation facilities.

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.

Together with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Peace Winds is working to meet the water and hygiene needs of refugees and returnees in the Gorom refugee settlement in Juba, South Sudan. This includes installing and repairing water supply lines, building new toilets, and providing health and hygiene education.

As the crisis in Sudan progresses, the United Nations will revise its emergency response plan, and it is expected that the need for support will increase even within South Sudan. Follow Peace Winds on social media and check out our blog for the latest updates from South Sudan.

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.