Project profile — Support to the Health Pooled Fund

• South Sudan (100.00%)

• Basic health care:
Basic health care (12220) (38.00%)
Basic nutrition (12240) (5.00%)
Health education (12261) (5.00%)
Malaria control (12262) (10.00%)
Health personnel development (12281) (5.00%)
• Population policy and administrative management:
Population policy and administrative management (13010) (3.00%)
Reproductive health care (13020) (24.00%)
Family planning (13030) (10.00%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (significant objective)
• Participatory development and good governance (significant objective)
• Disability (significant objective)
• Nutrition (significant objective)

The Health Pooled Fund aims to improve the health and well-being of the South Sudanese population in 8 of South Sudan’s 10 states. Canada’s contribution to the Health Pooled Fund helps ensure that quality health services, including sexual and reproductive health services, are available in about 800 of South Sudan’s health facilities and surrounding communities. Canada’s contribution also helps increase awareness of healthy behaviours, including women’s and adolescent girls’ sexual and reproductive health rights. This project builds on previous support to the Health Pooled Fund and is part of Canada’s commitment to improving global health and human rights. Project activities include: (1) delivering life-saving health and nutrition services in hospitals, health facilities and communities; (2) recruiting and training health workers; (3) procuring and distributing essential medicines and medical equipment; (4) delivering family health sessions to educate communities on family planning, child health and nutrition, and gender-based violence; (5) strengthening community health committees and enhancing women’s leadership; and (6) training and mentoring Ministry of Health personnel. The Health Pooled Fund expects to reach 7.9 million South Sudanese annually by 2024, or 65% of the country’s population, with women and children as the primary beneficiaries.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased access to quality, inclusive health and nutrition services, including sexual and reproductive health services; (2) increased healthy behaviours and practices supportive of women’s and girls’ health rights; and (3) more inclusive and accountable state-level health systems and policy environments that respond to the needs of the South Sudanese people. This includes the specific needs of women and girls, persons with disabilities and persons living with mental illness.

Results achieved at the end of the project (December 2024) include: (1) provided 33,091,346 people (59% women) across 7 of the country’s 10 states with outpatient consultations; (2) successfully vaccinated 1,523,165 children under 5 years-old with 3 doses of the pentavalent antigen protecting against 5 of the preventable infections in children. This includes Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, and Hepatitis B and Hib influenzae; (3) skilled birth attendants attended 477,160 births; (4) community-based health workers, called Boma health workers, (50% women and girls) treated 7,124,632 cases of malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea among children under 5 years; (5) reached 14,700,554 community members (55% women) with family health session topics to increase health-seeking behaviors; (6) increased the proportion of births in health facilities to 53% in 2023, up from 47% in 2020; (7) increased modern contraceptive use among women to 11% in 2023, up from 5% in 2020; (8) reduced the prevalence of child wasting to 6% in 2023 from 16% in 2019; and (9) contributed to improving health and increasing coverage, access and use of quality lifesaving health services, including sexual and reproductive health care.

• Proactive disclosure