World Vision and Health Pooled Fund help strengthen health system in South Sudan; boost COVID19 response efforts

Monday, April 13, 2020

The partnership mobilized over 500 community health workers to urgently assist communities; additional funding to respond to the health needs of over 400,000 people.

South Sudan’s inadequate health system is in serious threat by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the country’s Humanitarian Needs Overview, over 3.6 million people, 54 percent of these children, have no access to health care services. The report also estimated that 1,300 of its health facilities are “non-functional”.

Starting April 2020, World Vision’s implementation of the Health Pooled Fund (HPF) Project in Tonj North County, Warrap State and in Yambio, Nzara, Nagero, Tambura and Ezo counties in Western Equatoria State will be extended to focus on strengthening maternal and children’s health.

**A mother and her baby during a medical check at Yambio Primary Health Care Center. Photo taken November 2019 @WorldVision.**

The aim of the project is to support the urgent health needs of 442,580 people, 227,623 of them children under-5 through working with 87 health facilities composed of three hospitals, 19 primary health care centers, and 65 Primary health care units.

“HPF support enabled World Vision to hire staff, train and pay incentives to health workers in the above facilities as well as support improvement of their water, sanitation and hygiene services. Essential drugs are also provided.’ says Biruk Kebede, World Vision’s Interim Director of Projects and Partnerships.

World Vision will do its best to implement this project with the highest standard we can. This additional funding will give us an opportunity to integrate the COVID-19 response in our operational areas.

The project will be manned by 61 project staff, 1,247 government health workers and 420 Boma/ community health workers. So far, the project has trained health workers on COVID-19 prevention measures and information materials for communities to be aware.

HPF is a pooled fund with contributions from Department for International Development (DFID), United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Office of Foreign Affairs and Trade (OFDA), Global Affairs Canada (GAC), the Swedish International Development and Cooperation Agency, European Union (EU) and GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance.

With HPF's support, World Vision is able to continue the life-saving measures that thousands of people in South Sudan's remote areas urgently need. The staff in Yambio PHCC with the patients. Photo taken November 2019 @WorldVision

World Vision is grateful of the continuing support of donors and partners. “World Vision will do its best to implement this project with the highest standard we can. This additional funding will give us an opportunity to integrate the COVID-19 response in our operational areas”, says Dr. Mesfin Loha, World Vision South Sudan’s Country Programme Director in South Sudan.

Loha adds, “The project will be timely in supporting our global and national COVID-19 response plans that focus on three strategic objectives which are to promote prevention measures to stop or slow the spread of COVID-19, supporting health systems and workers, and assist children made vulnerable by COVID-19.”

Story by Cecil Laguardia, Communications Manager I Photos by Eugene Combo & Chris Lete/WorldVision