Our work in Southern Sudan

Southern Sudan is emerging from a 21-year civil war. It has great potential, natural resources and support from the international community.

But, the health situation is dire. Most health care facilities were destroyed during the war and there are few qualified health workers, leaving 11 million people with little or no medical care. AMREF works with Southern Sudan’s Ministry of Health, producing a national health care plan, training health workers, and providing a primary health care project serving 150,000 people.

Major health challenges

Preventable and treatable diseases are claiming lives. malaria, meningitis, measles, yellow fever and whooping cough are epidemic in some areas. Leprosy, river blindness, sleeping sickness, cholera, polio and guinea worm are also re-emerging.

Southern Sudan has the highest maternal death rate in the world. This is caused by a severe lack of trained midwives, inadequate health facilities and the high rate of teenage pregnancy.

There are very few government funds for health. The few hospitals and clinics that do exist are unevenly distributed – with rural areas more poorly served than urban ones.

HIV rates are low in Southern Sudan (2.6%), but a sharp rise is feared. Post-conflict conditions could fuel the spread of HIV – a mobile population, demobilised soldiers, a lack of HIV/AIDS awareness and a scarcity of condoms.

AMREF  is:

  • Working with the Ministry of Health to train doctors, clinical officers, midwives, laboratory technicians and pharmacists.
  • Providing safe water and sanitation to reduce waterborne diseases in Terekeka county by:
    • constructing latrines to improve environmental health and sanitation
    • sinking new wells and monitoring the quality of water
    • promoting health and hygiene through community hygiene educators rebuilding primary health care centres and training community health workers in Terekeka county.
  • Providing up-to-date research on South Sudan’s health care needs, and working with the government on a health care plan to meet these needs. 
  • Putting African Mothers and Children First in Kenya,Tanzania and Southern Sudan

Click here to hear audio files on AMREF's work training midwives and clinical officers

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Southern Sudan - Key Health Statistics

  • Independence for Southern Sudan has come at a very high cost – 2.5 million lives: displacement and migration of 4 million people in two decades of civil war
  • Southern Sudan has only 27% of the health workforce required to serve its population; many working in the health system lack key health care skills and knowledge
  • Child mortality rate: 135 per 1,000 live births
  • Maternal mortality rate: one in every 50 live births, one of the highest in the world
  • There is only one doctor per 100,000 people.
  • Only 10% of births are attended by skilled health staff
  • Only 17% of children are fully immunised
  • Preventable diseases – eg TB and diarrhoea – cause most deaths and illness
  • 45% of under-fives suffer chronic diarrhoea –one of their biggest killers