Our Impact in 2023
Health
Half of the world’s population lacks access to essential health services, with 100 million people pushed into poverty annually because they must pay for health care out of their own pockets. Strong and effective primary health care (PHC) can address 80% of people’s health needs across their lifetime.
Primary health care “addresses the main health problems in the community, providing promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative services accordingly.” Efforts aim to ensure that everyone everywhere is able to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health, reinforcing the foundational position of PHC in achieving universal health coverage and the health-related Sustainable Development Goals.
ARDF works with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and other partners to provide integrated health services and strengthen local healthcare systems across five states in South Sudan. ARDF supports over 15 health facilities, 50 Boma Health Sites and 10 Medical Mobile teams.
We provide primary healthcare across Northern Bahr El-Ghazal and Upper Nile states. In displacement camps in Renk, Melut, Malakal and Aweil Centre, ARDF runs comprehensive health facilities that offer higher-level care, including surgery.
ver the past two years, we have provided outpatient consultations to nearly 400,000 people. To reach remote communities or populations isolated by natural disasters, we implement mobile healthcare services either as part of ongoing programs or in response to emergencies.
South Sudan has one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates—1,150 per 100,000 live births—which is due mostly to infection, hemorrhage and obstructed labor. The health system is rudimentary due to an inadequate number of qualified health workers, poor infrastructure due to armed conflicts, poor access to health facilities, a dysfunctional referral system and negative cultural norms.
Because one-quarter of all South Sudanese children die from common—often preventable—childhood illnesses before they reach their fifth birthday, ARDF implements services in primary health clinics that focus on improving the health of women and their children.
ADRF supports health facilities with services that include:
• Maternal and child health, including antenatal and postnatal care, family planning, immunization and emergency obstetric care, and referral support;
• Specialized services for high-risk pregnancies and mental health needs;
• Sexual and reproductive health services, including prevention and treatment of disease, clinical management of rape and integrated case management for HIV/AIDS; and capacity building, to reduce the gap in qualified health personnel.
Projects
ICHP Project
The BHI is envisioned as the entry point for all community level health activities in the Community...
CERHSP-AF Project
African Relief and Development Foundation (ARDF) in consortium with Relief International...
An estimated 2.5 million women and children are at risk of acute malnutrition in South Sudan. ARDF operate eight treatment centers for internally displaced persons (IDPs), host communities and returnees in Baliet, Aweil South, Aweil East and Melut counties.
Our activities include:
• Treatment and management of wasting;
• Capacity building on screening using mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) measurement;
• Prevention of malnutrition through maternal, infant and young-child feeding nutrition (MIYCN) programs;
• Information management and learning through support of population-based surveys; and
• Coordination and system strengthening through support of cluster and sub-cluster groups.
We work closely with the MoH and other partners to provide comprehensive treatment, incorporating a community-based model for the management of acute malnutrition, including MIYCN.
This combination includes inpatient care for severely malnourished children with complications—to reduce their exposure to other diseases—combined with outpatient care through targeted supplementary feeding programs to decrease their recovery time. In 2023, we reached 94,570 people across seven program sites. We have also supported more than 400 mother support groups that implement and advocate for nutrition and dietary behavior change at the community level.
For every service we provide, ARDF works closely with local and government counterparts. At our primary healthcare clinics, the majority of staff members are local, and receive training, support and guidance from experienced local or expatriate staff.
ARDF also provides modern, computer-based data-collection-and-analysis training for staff working on health management information systems. We partner with state-level ministries of health to provide technical support, coaching and mentoring of frontline health workers.
South Sudan has fewer than 200 doctors to serve its population of more than 12 million, and the number of nurses, midwives and other paramedical staff is similarly low. We currently provide on-the-job training to midwives and other healthcare workers at Malakal Teaching Hospital and at more than 20 ARDF supported health facilities across Upper Nile and NBEG states.