South Sudan

The Transcultural Psychosocial Organization/ITC – Nepal

Psychosocial Support – Prevention of Trafficking; Primary Health Care Integration

Name of organization: South Sudan Psychosocial Program [SSPP]

Location of operation:

  1. Kajo-keji County –central Equatoria State
  2. Magwi County –Eastern Equatoria state
  3. Organization in existence since 2005

AN OVERVIEW OF SSPP PROGRAM ACTIVITIES IN SOUTH SUDAN

Sector 1: Psychosocial care and support services/mental health care services

Psychosocial services:

Activities

  • Counseling for survivors of war and organized violence including other social problems.
  • Counseling is based on individual, group, family and community levels.
  • Following up clients by counselors to monitor the improvement of clients.
  • Referring clients to other helping structures within the community.
  • Advocating for support for desperate clients.
  • Building capacities of communities through community participation workshops.
  • Youth alcohol/drug abuse prevention initiative

Accomplishments

  • 2000+ community leaders and members were sensitized on psychosocial and mental health issues.
  • Trained 45 members of people living with HIV/AIDS in Kajo-keji and Magwi Counties on psychosocial support counseling.
  • Trained over 300 SPLA war wounded heroes on psychosocial social support on prevention of suicide.
  • Trained 30 SPLA peer educators on psychosocial support and HIV/AIDS
  • Trained 25 SPLA medical corps on HIV/AIDS, psychosocial support and syndromic management.
  • Trained 45 members of people living with HIV/AIDS in Kajo-keji and Magwi Counties.
  • Trained 60 youth leaders on alcohol/drug abuse prevention and psychosocial support in Yei and Nimule.

Sector 2: Mental health care services

Activities

  • Conducting mobile mental health clinics in 4 centers in Kajo-keji and 1 in Nimule to treat clients with severe mental disorders.
  • Following up clients on treatment to monitor their progress.
  • Providing counseling to clients with mental health problems and their families.
  • Community sensitization on mental health problems
  • Training health center in charges on management of mental health problems
  • Referring clients to other helping structures in the community.
  • Advocating for rights of people with mental illness.

Accomplishments

  • Established 4 mobile mental health clinics in Kajo-keji County and 1 in Nimule [Magwi County]
  • Trained 28 health workers in Kajo-keji County on management of mental health and psychosocial problems.
  • 800 clients benefited from psychosocial care counseling
  • 827 clients both mentally ill and epilepsy are benefitting  from mental health drugs [about 327 mentally ill]

Sector 3: HIV/AIDS PREVENTION PROGRAM

ACTIVITIES:

  • Community awareness on HIV/AIDS
  • School campaigns on HIV/AIDS targeting upper primary pupils and secondary schools.
  • Building capacity of people living with HIV/AIDS on psychosocial support.
  • Psychosocial counseling for traumatized people living with HIV/AIDS.
  • Referring clients to Voluntary Counseling and Testing[VCT] and ARVs
  • Conducting community mobilization meetings
  • Advocating for rights of people with living with HIV/AIDS

Under the HIV/AIDS project we have accomplished the following achievements.

  • Trained 28 youth peer educators on HIV/AIDS prevention and psychosocial support.
  • Trained 24 members of people living with HIV/AIDS on psychosocial support.
  • Sensitized 307 women on HIV/AIDS prevention.
  • Sensitized 273 community leaders on HIV/AIDS prevention.
  • Trained 50 traditional healers on HIV/AIDS prevention
  • 4500 upper primary pupils reached with HIV/AIDS message
  • Distributed 9000 condoms to condom users in Kajo-keji County
  • Referred  clients to VCT centers

Sector 4: Civic education [kajo-keji County]

Activities

  • Sensitizing community leaders on human rights, local democracy and good governance.
  • Training county local leaders on human rights, local democracy and good governance.
  • Conducting radio talk shows on human rights, local democracy and human rights.

Accomplishments

  • Sensitized 140 community leaders on human rights, local democracy and good governance.
  • Trained 30 paralegals to sensitize the community on human rights and monitor human rights abuses.
  • Conducted 3 radio talk shows on local FM radio targeting 5000 listeners.

Sector S: Sexual gender Based Violence [SGBV]

Activities

  • Sensitizing community leaders and members on psychological and mental effects of SGBV
  • Training community leaders on SGBV prevention and response.
  • Training survivors of SGBV on psychosocial support, SGBV prevention, and livelihood business skills and knowledge.
  • Counseling for survivors of SGBV
  • Referrals and advocacy

Accomplishments

  • 300 community leaders were trained on SGBV prevention and response.
  • 30 women survivors of SGBV were trained on psychosocial support, SGBV prevention, and livelihood and business skills.
  • Over 9000  community leaders were sensitized on SGBV/GBV

Human resource [STAFF CAPACITY] – Kajo-keji program:

  1. Director 1
  2. Program assistant 1 trained counselor
  3. Human resource manager 1
  4. Accountant 1
  5. Training coordinator 1[trained counselor/trainer]
  6. Counselors 9
  7. Support staffs 6
  8. Community psychosocial volunteers 30

Total staff: 20 staffs and 30 community psychosocial volunteers

Magwi -Nimule program

  1. Program coordinator 1 [also a trained trainer and counselor]
  2. Supervisor/counselor 1
  3. Counselor 1
  4. Community psychosocial volunteer 1

Inactive counselors who are not yet engaged currently:

We also have 20 counselors who are currently not engaged but have been highly trained and are ready for deployment.