Thoughts on Development in South Sudan

It has now been over a month I have been in South Sudan and in that time I have written as much of the report on street children in Wau that I can until I gather further information, developed and written a project proposal for increasing women's participation in public and political life at the local level and have assisted colleagues to write budget narratives for a World Food Program project and humanitarian relief project.

 

There are many challenges and frustrations faced when working within the development sector in South Sudan. From my short time in South Sudan observations are that international donors have more funding available for emergency and humanitarian projects rather than long term development and setting up vocational training. The civil war ended in 2006 and most people who fled have since returned to their homelands, yet funding is still being allocated in large quantities to returnees and internally displaced persons.  

 

It seems that it is easier to fund 'hard' projects - that is the provision of material supplies or goods, rather than investing large sums of money to  help develop the capacity of the government and indviduals. For example, there is a primary school and health clinic in Acumcum village. These buildings were built and paid for by international donors, yet the clinic has not been open one day that I have been here. It is the responsibilty of the government to staff the clinic, yet the government does not have adequate funds to pay the salaries of health workers and any health professional that would accept a low paying job at the clinic would be from outside the village and therefore living expenses would have to be paid as well.

 

It is currently school holidays so the local school is not open, but I have been told that the quality of teaching in South Sudan is getting lower. Teachers receive minimal salaries and large numbers are now changing professions. Because the quality of teaching is low, many families decide not to send their children to school and instead have them help with chores.

 

There is no easy answer to South Sudan's problems and how things may be fixed, but my view is that the international community and donor funding may be assisting in some areas but may also be creating additional problems that the Sudanese people will have to deal with in generations to come.