In consortium with AVSI Foundation and thanks to AICS funds, in July we launched a psychological assistance project for girls and women survivors of violence
INTERSOS is carrying out a project in South Sudan in consortium with the AVSI Foundation and thanks to the support of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS). Specifically, we are operating in Kapoeta, in Eastern Equatoria State. The aim is to promote a safer environment in a context characterized by violence which provokes serious mental as well as physical health problems. On the one hand, the intervention of the aid workers will serve to provide psychological support, on the other hand, it will aim to raise awareness: it is crucial to inform the most vulnerable people about the risks they face and avoid prolonging the violence. Basically, the focus will be on building a safer environment for everyone and protecting people’s mental health.
“After many years, INTERSOS returns to operate in Kapoeta area, currently one of the areas of the country with many needs and little support. INTERSOS and AVSI are among the few international NGOs operating in this area,” says Stefano Antichi, head of mission in South Sudan. INTERSOS has been working in South Sudan since 2006. The main area of intervention is protection, child protection and of survivors of gender-based violence.
People can experience various kinds of violence that affect their physical and mental well-being. Gender-based violence affects not only women and girls, but also boys and men. INTERSOS aids the affected population in East and South Kapoeta. We do prevention, child protection, follow-up on individual cases, and gender-based violence risks through an approach based on close collaboration with the community itself. We also give direct assistance through psychosocial support to women, girls, boys, and men, putting communities at the center of the action. We want to help improve the environment and protection of affected people in Kapoeta South and East. Through this project, centres for women and girls will be created where the activities will be conducted in a safe environment.
The emergency in South Sudan is currently one of the most serious in the world with 8,9 million people seeking help. The crisis is due to several interconnected causes that require a rapid and massive humanitarian response. The civil war, which has been going on for years, provoked the deaths of thousands of people, the displacement of several areas, and the destruction of infrastructures. In addition, non-compliance with the 2018 peace treaty creates political instability that results in violence and interethnic conflicts. Another main issue is the climate impact due to floods which increase every year and worsen the conditions of farmland and livestock, the main sources of livelihood. Kapoeta East has 118,800* vulnerable people and Kapoeta South has 66,500*, with the worsening vulnerabilities due to the climate emergency and inter-community conflicts.