Discover how IHSI is making a difference across South Sudan through our various programs and initiatives.
Discover how we are making a difference in South Sudan
Presence of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) represent a serious humanitarian threat and a major barrier to development in South Sudan. These explosives have a disastrous and continued impact on the health and livelihoods of South Sudanese people. ERW and landmines strike fear in people’s hearts. The terror is generated by existing or imagined threats, which block them from undertaking needed social, economic and cultural activities. This in turn impedes the full enjoyment of their basic human rights to life, physical integrity and development
IHSI is dedicated to providing trauma-informed care and emotional support to individuals affected by conflict and violence. We deliver comprehensive Safety and Protection Services, ensuring the safety of vulnerable populations through a multi-faceted approach. This includes structured and unstructured Psychosocial Support (PSS) services and activities, advocacy, legal assistance, and the establishment of protective mechanisms. All interventions are consistent with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) pyramid (2007), with a primary focus on the provision of Psychosocial Support Services (PSS).
Our activities focused on improving reproductive, maternal, and new-born, child and adolescent health care using an integrated approach across the health system. Our approach focuses on supporting the Ministry and of health local stakeholders to jointly improve integrated service delivery for women, adolescents and children across the continuum of care from pre-pregnancy to delivery, the immediate postnatal period, and childhood. Our activities pay special attention to pregnant adolescents and young women as these are such a highrisk group for complications during pregnancy and delivery. We engage and mobilize communities to create support and demand for services, increasing access to equitable health care. We worked with community Health workers at community level, and PHC units to mobilize and strengthen demand for services increasing access to equitable health care.
Emergency and sustainable water and sanitation infrastructure, hygiene promotion, and disease prevention to enhance health and dignity in crisis-affected and vulnerable communities
To strengthen local response systems, IHSI will train staff, volunteers, and community leaders on critical protection concepts. IHSI staff and partners will learn MHPSS fundamentals and Psychological First Aid (PFA) in three days’ time, while volunteers will undergo a two-day PFA training to identify and support distressed children and their care-takers. Community leaders will receive a three-day workshop on Community-Based Psychosocial Support (CBPSS), child protection norms, and GBV prevention—key in South Sudan, where traditional leaders influence social norms. This empowers communities to sustain protection efforts long-term, countering systemic gaps in government services.
Nutrition screening and treatment for acute malnutrition, infant and young child feeding (IYCF) programs, maternal nutrition support, and health education
South Sudan’s displacement crises have left thousands of children separated from families. IHSI’s trained teams will work with community leaders, county authorities, and humanitarian partners to locate and register missing children and caregivers. Using a coordinated approach, they will expedite reunification and monitor reunited families to prevent re-separation—a critical step in Aweil West County, where cyclical refugees and IDPs disrupt stability. Success hinges on leveraging local knowledge and aligning with national child protection clusters
Awareness sessions will address South Sudan’s pervasive protection risks, such as GBV and child soldier recruitment, by educating communities on rights and available services. Regular protection monitoring will tailor messages to local needs (e.g., protection areas). Simultaneously, IHSI will establish or popularize referral pathways for child protection, GBV, and MHPSS cases, collaborating with partners to fill gaps in services. In remote areas with no existing systems, new pathways will be created and shared, ensuring no child falls through the cracks in the county of implementation with fragmented infrastructure.
Addressing the prevention, mitigation, and response to GBV in crisis-affected communities enhances safety, dignity, and resilience for vulnerable groups, particularly women and girls, in emergencies. The program ensures survivor-centered support through access to medical care, psychosocial services, legal aid, and safe spaces. It also strengthens community awareness, engages men and boys as allies, and works with local stakeholders to promote gender equality and protection.
