CARE International assists vulnerable communities in Unity state
July 6, 2013 (BENTIU) – An international development organisation launched a health and sanitation programme in Padiet village of Unity state’s Rubkotna county this week.
Benson Wakoli, the programme coordinator of CARE international in Unity state, says the initiative, which aims to promote awareness and mobilize communities to install their own household latrines – will help reduced poor sanitation among the people in the area.
“We have been very much working in water and sanitation programme, you remember in Kaljak we just rehabilitated two water yards and also in Pantang we have rehabilitated one water yard. In Kadet we are just completing rehabilitation of [the] water yard and also we have been working with communities to rehabilitate boreholes”, he said
The organisation has also been providing agriculture training, he added.
With South Sudan’s government struggling to provide health care for many citizens, many international NGO’s are stepping in to assist in delivering public services.
Poor infrastructures has hampered the attempts of the government aid workers to help meet the needs of many communities.
Wakoli says the programme of sanitation is due to be extended to other counties in Unity state such as Mayom and Guit.
“We are working very closely with communities leaders, especially in this Kaljak payam and we want also to scale up the programme to cover other areas in Guit up to Kadet as well as Mayom. we have seen the response is very good in the communities, the communities are willing to participate in this programme because they feel that it is a programme that is going to improve their status”.
In close collaboration with the Unity state health ministry, CARE International has opened eight primary health Care centres and provided seeds to those affected by severe flooding last year that wiped out many crops.
CARE International has been working in Unity state for almost 13 years, focusing on delivering health services to vulnerable groups.
The organisation had been based in Khartoum but opened a sub-office in Unity state’s capital Bentiu during the interim period of 2005 peace deal. Following South Sudan’s independence two years ago, CARE international opened a new office in Juba and later extended other sub-offices in some of South Sudan’s ten states.
After in indictment of Sudanese president by the International Criminal Court over war crimes Darfur, CARE International was one of 13 international NGO’s which was expelled from Sudan as the government accused them of providing information to the tribunal.
(ST)