IsraAID South Sudan has signed a memorandum of understanding with a national non-governmental organization, Community Aid and Relief Initiative (CARI), to transfer management of its humanitarian projects in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Juba to local leadership.
The agreement, signed on Friday in Juba, is aimed at strengthening local capacity and ensuring the sustainability of humanitarian programmes, with CARI taking over project implementation and management.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Thomas Okollah, IsraAID South Sudan country director, said the decision followed several years of humanitarian work in the camps and efforts to build the capacity of community members.
Okollah said IsraAID had been operating in South Sudan since 2013, implementing programmes in protection, water, sanitation and hygiene, health, nutrition and education.
He said the organization had recruited and trained people from within the displaced communities, some of whom had worked with IsraAID for four to five years.
“What we have done in the IDP camps is mainly protection, ensuring that the women and children and girls especially who are in the camps have some dignified living, protecting them from exploitation, gender-based violence and related protection concerns,” Okollah said.
He said IsraAID had worked with former staff members to establish CARI after struggling to identify an existing national organization with the capacity, commitment and presence needed to continue the programmes.
“We realized that we have staff who are already trained, very experienced and have been doing this work. And that is when, as part of IsraAID’s commitment to localization, building local capacity and ensuring sustainability of our operations, we worked with the staff to set up a national NGO,” he said.
Okollah stressed that the handover did not amount to a complete withdrawal by IsraAID, saying the organization would continue to provide technical advice, oversight and capacity-building support when required.
“In handing over this, again we are not withdrawing. It’s only that we are building local institutions and ensuring capacity is developed for sustainability purposes,” he said.
He said IsraAID wanted CARI to assume full responsibility for running the interventions in the camps, with the international organization available for consultation when needed.
“But the hands of IsraAID will not be seen in the IDP camps. We want it to be 100% run by CARI. We will remain as consultants, consulting with them every time they need us,” Okollah said.
He said the initial transition arrangement would run for three months, during which CARI would continue implementing the current phase of the project while seeking additional funding to sustain its operations.
Meanwhile, Johnson Nguanyiet, CARI’s executive director, said the organization was established by experienced humanitarian workers seeking to address the lack of continuity in projects implemented in Juba’s displacement camps.
He said several aid organizations had operated in the camps over the years, but their programmes often ended when they withdrew.
“Many NGOs have been in Juba IDP camp, formerly known as POC, but they have been in and out and none of the projects are sustainable. And people could ask many questions, why there is no sustainability? What is the problem?” Nguanyiet said.
He said CARI was established as a community-led initiative to ensure humanitarian services continued beyond the involvement of international organizations.
Nguanyiet said the organization currently had 22 experienced staff members, most of whom had previously worked with IsraAID, and were prepared to continue supporting displaced communities.
“At the moment, CARI is standing with 22 experienced staff that are ready to support the people of IDP camp,” he said.
He said CARI’s primary mission was to provide community-led health and protection services in the camps, while expanding assistance to other crisis-affected communities across South Sudan.
“We did not form CARI to primarily base on Juba IDP,” Nguanyiet said.
“We understand that many of South Sudanese have been displaced within and outside the country. And as our objective, we need to make sure that we reach to the crisis-affected communities across South Sudan.”
Nguanyiet acknowledged that the newly established organization faced challenges but said it would work with humanitarian partners, government institutions and affected communities to achieve its objectives.
He also praised IsraAID for supporting the localization agenda, describing the handover as an important step towards building sustainable national humanitarian institutions.
“I myself have been a humanitarian worker. I’ve worked with different organizations. I’ve worked in different projects, but none of the projects that I’ve been is sustainable. And I’m very proud today that I’m able to achieve this with IsraAID in South Sudan,” he said.
The agreement comes amid growing calls in the humanitarian sector for international aid organizations to strengthen local leadership and ensure national organizations have the capacity and resources to respond to humanitarian needs.
IsraAID said CARI would gradually strengthen its organizational systems, personnel and ability to mobilize independent funding, with the possibility of expanding its operations to other states as resources become available.
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