Oxfam's work in Sudan in depth

In southern Sudan, Oxfam focuses on providing water and sanitation, supporting livelihoods, and responding to humanitarian emergencies. We are currently assisting about 370,000 people across the south.

The context

In January 2011 southern Sudan held a referendum in which its people voted on whether to remain part of a united Sudan – Africa’s largest nation; or to secede and become the world’s newest independent country. Over 98% of people voted in favour of independence.

Video: Tens of thousands return to the new nation of southern Sudan

After decades of brutal war and neglect, southern Sudan is one of the poorest and least developed regions on earth. Since the signing of the 2005 peace agreement – bringing an end to one of Africa’s longest running wars, which claimed around 2 million lives to conflict and disease – southern Sudan has had to be built up almost from scratch.

Over half the population does not have access to safe water, and 80% of people cannot read and write. One in seven pregnant women die of complications. A 15-year-old girl in southern Sudan has a higher chance of dying in childbirth than finishing school. There are few hospitals, schools or paved roads. Over 200,000 people have had to flee their homes this year due to violent clashes. Another 80,000 people were made homeless by severe flooding.

If real peace is to last, southern Sudan needs development and sustained support.

How is Oxfam helping?

Oxfam has been working in the south for 27 years. When war erupted in 1983, we began by providing emergency water to people who fled the violence. Over the following two decades, we helped some of the most marginalised and devastated communities by providing vital water, healthcare and basic shelter, and responding to disasters such as famines and floods.

Interactive timeline: History of Oxfam in Sudan

Since the peace agreement, many of the millions of people who were forced to flee during the war have begun to return home. But they and the communities who remained need to be able to rebuild their lives. They need access to basic services such as water and sanitation, and opportunities to earn an income.

Providing clean water can have a dramatic impact on people’s lives. A quarter of southern villages still rely on river water as their main source, which can make them particularly vulnerable to water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea and cholera. Lack of water sources can also affect school attendance, with children taken out of the school in the dry season to collect water for their families.

Oxfam works in three southern Sudanese states – Upper Nile, Lakes, and Western Equatoria.

Upper Nile

In Upper Nile, one of the most remote and inaccessible states in southern Sudan, some communities are cut off for months at a time during the heavy rains.

Blog: Admin costs ife or death in southern Sudan

We are drilling boreholes to provide villagers with steady supplies of clean water; constructing new latrines for schoolchildren; repairing traditional reservoirs; and helping to improve the health of local people by preventing the spread of diseases such as malaria. Health festivals and drama to promote good hygiene are also held throughout the year.

Lakes State

In Lakes State, we are supporting villages to start small-scale farms and grow food, by distributing seeds and farming equipment. We have provided cash grants to local entrepreneurs to set up small businesses such as shops and restaurants, to help support their families. And we help herders care for their livestock by supporting local veterinary clinics, which lack basic medicines and trained personnel.

There are frequent clashes over cattle and pasture, and Oxfam has provided clean water and latrines to communities that have had to flee their homes during the violence.

In pictures: Livelihoods in Lakes State

Western Equatoria

In Western Equatoria we work mainly with farming communities and we have constructed boreholes and latrines to provide dozens of villages with clean water and sanitation. We also work with local youth and women’s groups on public health education projects to stop the spread of diseases such as malaria and diarrhoea. 

Western Equatoria is a fertile region and should be the breadbasket of southern Sudan, but it has been badly affected by the violence of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). More than 40,000 people have been made homeless this year due to LRA activity and many farmers are too scared to access their fields. Oxfam is campaigning for greater protection for communities, while also working to support farmers in stable areas with new equipment and facilitating their access to regional markets.

Report: Ghosts of Christmas Past - Protecting civilians from the LRA

Emergency response

Oxfam also has an emergency response team which deploys across other parts of southern Sudan to provide urgent assistance to people made homeless by violence or natural disasters such as floods and drought. The team helps set up water systems, digs latrines, and distributes shelter, mosquito nets and other useful items.

 

Last updated: January 2011