Doctors Without Borders

Published purpose

March 2015 – Nearly four years since independence, internal conflict continues to devastate the lives of millions of people in South Sudan. On December 2013, violence broke out in Juba, South Sudan’s capital, and quickly spread throughout the country. The humanitarian consequences of the ongoing crisis include: massive population displacement; high mortality rates; increasing food insecurity; disrupted livelihoods; and, wide-scale malnutrition. Over 1.5 million people are internally displaced within the country, over 103,000 individuals are seeking physical protection in UN bases and over 500,000 South Sudanese have fled the country. Agricultural production is disrupted, and essential basic services, such as safe drinking water, schools, and medical facilities have been shut down or destroyed in the fighting. With DFATD’s support, Doctors Without Borders Canada is improving access to emergency health services for a total of 412,500 displaced persons and host communities in Unity State (157,000), Agok and the Abyei Administrative Areas (120,000) and Upper Nile State (135,500). Project activities include: (1) conducting 110,000 outpatient consultations, over 23,200 other health consultations, and treating 8,160 patients with ambulatory therapeutic feeding; (2) providing treatment to 6,020 inpatients and providing 1,250 patients with intensive therapeutic feeding; (3) conducting over 1,500 safe deliveries; and (4) providing 24-hour emergency care and surgery for conflict-related trauma, including comprehensive care for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.