VZCZCXRO5842
PP RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0766/01 1351539
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 151539Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7216
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000766 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AIDAC 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/SPG, PRM, AND ALSO PASS USAID/W 
USAID FOR DCHA SUDAN TEAM, AFR/SP 
NAIROBI FOR SFO 
NSC FOR PMARCHAM, MMAGAN, AND TSHORTLEY 
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU 
USUN FOR TMALY 
BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID PREF PGOV PHUM SOCI SU
SUBJECT: SOUTHERN SUDAN - RELIEF TO RECOVERY PROGRESS IN CENTRAL 
EQUATORIA STATE 
 
KHARTOUM 00000766  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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(U) From April 28 to April 30, the Director of USAID's Office of 
U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) traveled to Lainya and 
Yei counties in Central Equatoria State, Southern Sudan, to meet 
with USAID/OFDA partners and local government authorities to review 
the impact of USAID/OFDA-funded programs on vulnerable populations. 
Lainya County, with an estimated population of 200,000 people, 
experienced significant displacement during the civil war.  However, 
Lainya County is further along than most other counties in Southern 
Sudan in transitioning away from emergency relief aid to more 
sustainable recovery and development assistance.  The USAID/OFDA 
Director visited CHF International, ZOA Refugee Care (ZOA), and 
Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) activities in Lainya County. End 
Summary. 
 
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SUSTAINABLE HEALTH CARE FACILITIES 
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¶1. (U) Since March 2005, the USAID/OFDA-funded ZOA primary health 
care project in Lainya County has provided life-saving services to 
more than 95,000 people at its three primary health care centers and 
11 primary health care units.  The total population of the county is 
more than 200,000 people.  Approximately, 23 percent of those 
treated at the facilities are recent returnees.  With the 
sustainability of the project as a primary focus, ZOA constructed 
permanent brick facilities.  Many internally displaced persons 
(IDPs) and refugees cite the availability of quality health care as 
a factor in influencing their decision to return to the county. 
Prior to the project there was no county health department.  In 
addition to ZOA's health care program, the Lainya County Health 
Department employs 15 professional health staff and manages 30 
community-based health workers and 30 vaccinators.  Curative 
services are increasingly demanded due to demonstrated professional 
service, medicine availability, and motivated staff.  By December 
2007, ZOA expects that all 11 primary health care units and 3 
primary health care centers in Lainya County will be ready to be 
handed over to the county health department. 
 
¶2. (U) Further evidence of the functionality of the Lainya County 
Health Department is the fact that the Lainya County Medical Officer 
and the Primary Health Care Supervisor have actively lobbied and 
negotiated with the Central Equatoria State health authorities to 
incorporate the county health department staff into the state public 
service payroll and health budget.  The county health department 
staff are not yet paid by the government, but all the necessary 
procedures have been completed to soon make this a reality.  This 
has increased the confidence of the staff and opened vital 
communication linkages between the county health department and the 
Central Equatoria State health and public service authorities. The 
Lainya County Health Department plans to further engage the Central 
Equatoria State authorities in other key health areas such as the 
provision of pharmaceuticals. 
 
¶3. (U) What started as an USAID/OFDA-funded emergency health care 
project in 2005 is clearly transitioning into what will soon become 
a self-sustaining county government-managed curative and 
preventative quality health care program. 
 
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FOOD SECURITY AND LIVELIHOODS 
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¶4. (U) The NPA food security and rural livelihoods program funded by 
USAID/OFDA supports returnees and other vulnerable residents in 
Lainya County.  Using an integrated approach, including the 
provision of relief food, agricultural inputs such as seeds and 
tools, and training, the program has assisted the conflict-affected 
population to revitalize their livelihoods.  More than simply 
distributing agricultural inputs, the program offers extension 
training with the goal of increasing agricultural productivity and 
reducing dependency on relief food.  Agriculture support activities 
are planned and coordinated at the Kenyi Farmer Training Center. 
The Kenyi Farmer Training Center hosts food security and agriculture 
training workshops and other farmer outreach activities. 
 
¶5. (U) Since 1998, NPA's program has established 22 farmer training 
centers throughout Southern Sudan.  These farmer training centers 
 
KHARTOUM 00000766  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
have played a major role in the transfer of agricultural technology 
to rural areas, as well as providing demonstration plots that 
educate farmers on improved agronomical practices.  As a result of 
the targeted beneficiaries having attained a reasonable level of 
food security, 13 of the 22 farmer training centers have been handed 
over to local county agriculture departments.  However, with the 
large number of returnees expected from refugee camps in Uganda and 
IDP camps in Central Equatoria State, USAID/OFDA continues to 
support the Kenyi Farmer Training Center in Lainya County through 
the provision of seeds, tools, and training. 
 
¶6. (U) Through April 2007, the project has distributed agricultural 
supplies to 1,204 returnee households in the county, representing 
nearly 100 percent of the South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation 
Commission (SSRRC) registered returning population in the county. 
The inputs provided will enable these returnee households to 
increase their areas of cultivation by up to 1.5 fedans and will 
reduce the returnees' dependency on relief food in the county. 
Another significant result of this project is that the Lainya County 
Agriculture Department, through the project's capacity building 
component, has been able to support the formation of six rural 
farmer groups with a total of 88 members.  Since its inception in 
1998, the Kenyi Farmer Training Center has trained 1,365 farmers, 
including 375 women.  The training has enabled these farmers to 
significantly increase maize and sorghum yields and has resulted in 
a considerable decrease in dependency on relief food in Lainya 
County.  With as many as 30,000 to 50,000 additional people expected 
to return to Lainya County in the next two years, the Kenyi Farmer 
training Center will play a vital role in the food security of the 
county. 
 
¶7. (U) To support women's livelihoods, CHF International has also 
started a women's bakery project, providing the direct beneficiaries 
with business skills and cash income.  The bakery project injects 
more cash into the local economy, as well as providing quality bread 
for the community.  In addition, the bakery has increased Lainya 
community's pride.  The county commissioner claims that the bakery 
produces, "better bread than any available for purchase in Juba and 
Yei."  In the coming months, the women's group will receive business 
training in areas including bookkeeping, profit-loss margin 
analysis, and management in order to build the sustainability of the 
small business enterprise. 
 
¶8. (U) To engage youth and ex-combatants, CHF International has 
initiated carpentry skills and business training.  The program 
trains young men in carpentry through practical experience.  To 
date, the direct beneficiaries have produced more than 60 pieces of 
high quality wood furniture and have a firm understanding of basic 
carpentry.  Each of the trained youth receive a package of tools to 
start up their own businesses, as well as business skills training 
emphasizing how to start and manage a small business. 
 
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COMMENTS 
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¶9. (U) USAID/OFDA-funded relief programs have laid the foundation 
for sustainable economic recovery and development in health care, 
agriculture, food security, and livelihoods.  With the return of 
thousands of displaced people to Southern Sudan, transitioning from 
relief-oriented programs to assistance that facilitates the 
long-term economic recovery and development are critical. 
USAID/OFDA understands that visible peace dividends play a key role 
in supporting the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and is working with 
other USAID offices to ensure that communities continue to see 
tangible improvements in their communities. 
 
POWERS