Behavior Change Communication in Southern Sudan

Counterpart International (Counterpart) implemented a Behavior Change Communication (BCC) Project with funding from USAID under a sub-grant to John Snow International for the Sudan Health Transformation Project.
 
The prevalence of HIV/AIDS is low but showing a steadily increasing rate as refugees are returning from camps near border countries with high HIV/AIDS rates. As Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees return to Southern Sudan, there is an urgent need to rebuild the shattered health system. The very high morbidity and mortality rates are reflected in the overall lack of health infrastructure and qualified health personnel in the region.
 
Beginning in 2007, Counterpart provided $2 million worth of medical supplies and equipment to the Government of South Sudan (GoSS), which has been distributed to health clinics in more than 6 counties throughout Sudan. In 2008, the program was scaled up with Counterpart serving as Government of Southern Sudan's technical resource to develop the Health Education and Promotion Unit within the Ministry of Health.
 
To create positive and sustainable behavior change, Counterpart's programs used traditional folk media in addition to conventional mass media, individual counseling, group presentations, or peer education as appropriate. Determining the appropriate means for message delivery was especially vital in the context of South Sudan as the rates of illiteracy and poverty are extremely high in the area. Through Counterpart's working relationship with the GoSS and the partner local NGOs, acceptable and appropriate BCC programming was developed and utilized. 

Classroom Construction in South Sudan 

Counterpart established operations in Sudan in June of 2005 and began implementation of the commodity assistance component of the Emergency Gap Assistance for IDPs & Affected Communities (EGA) program.

Counterpart's programming in Sudan provided more than $5 million in medical supplies, equipment and pharmaceuticals to health clinics serving IDPs and other members of communities in the Darfur region of Sudan.

In 2007, with $175,000 of funding from the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Counterpart's Community and Humanitarian Assistance Programs completed construction of an 8 classroom school in Kapoeta South County in Eastern Equatoria State in South Sudan.