World Bank: A Health Project in South Sudan is Helping Provide Critical Services for Women and Children in the Midst of Conflict

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Fighting in South Sudan has left millions of people with little access to health care
• Rural clinics are overflowing with civilians displaced by the crisis
• Despite ongoing challenges, the World Bank-supported Rapid Results Health Project is supporting the provision of life-saving treatment

March 7, 2014(Nyamilepedia)—Recent fighting in South Sudan is afflicting millions of people, many of them still recovering from the country’s five-decade civil war. The conflict is impacting the northern states of Jonglei and Upper Nile, where tribal clashes had left only a tenuous peace.

Even before the latest outbreak of violence, South Sudan had some of the lowest health indicators in the world: one in 10 children under five years of age did not survive; maternal deaths were among the highest in the world at 2050 per 100,000 births; and only 45% of the population lived within 5 km of a health clinic.

Despite these formidable challenges, the World Bank-supported Rapid Results Health Project (RRHP), which targets Jonglei and Upper Nile, is seeing strong results. The project, which began in August 2012 with a US$28 million grant from the Transitional Trust Fund for South Sudan, focuses on maternal and child care as well as treatment for preventable diseases like malaria, respiratory tract infections and diarrheal diseases.

Nearly 375,000 people have received critical health services – making a major impact in a region where lack of proper health care can mean the difference between life and death.

• Read the full article on The World Bank