Programs
Programs and Services of ACFO
Inclusive Quality Education
ACFO developed a sustainable measure for promoting Quality Peace Education (QPE) projects that restores hope for purposeful living, dreams for development and great achievements, ambition for bright future. We work with national and state governments to improve access to education and develop programs where children can improve their literacy and acquire skills at an early age and to shape their mindsets and prepare them for opportunities for real long-lasting change in families and communities in South Sudan through establishment of education facilities, ranging from Early child education development, pre-primary school, secondary school and vocational training centers in areas of higher demand.
We provide practical life skills programs and ensure that the learning facilities are well equipped with learning materials, venue for classrooms and accommodations (Dometries), conference hall for trainings, workshops and seminars in areas of Nonviolence and Conflict transformation (NCT); We train children in nonviolence communication skills, inner peace, peace with the environment. The facility has a large playing ground for interaction and social skills development to produce peace loving citizens in South Sudan.
Based on the UN declaration on children rights in 1959; the child shall be entitled from birth to a name and nationality. The child shall enjoy the benefit of social security. He or she shall be entitled to grow and develop in health to his end, special care and protection shall be provided both to him and his mother. Therefore, based on the above principles, ACFO is promoting children rights through helping kids break the cycle of poverty involves much more than providing access to health services and educational resources. It entails working toward the holistic well-being of every child and youth in our care. Moreover, that means keeping them safe.
ACFO promotes peace education clubs in schools through formation of peace clubs, debating clubs, rotary, nonviolence communication clubs and conflict mediator. ACFO ensures those programs runs in every school in South Sudan to install reconciliation spirit and togetherness among students and pupils. Special support to pupils/students: ACFO provides psychosocial support services to the learners as part of social welfare services. We provide scholastic materials washing detergence as necessity to learners to motivate them and eliminate trauma factors that divert their focus from class.
ACFO CHILD PROTECTION PROGRAM
AFCO work hand in hand with Parents Teachers Association (PTA), Teachers Union, ministry of general education and instructions to develop policies that protects children’s rights to acquire quality education, and to inclusively engage in decision-making process that shapes the society.
We train children, staff and volunteers on how to identify and prevent child abuse. We give children the opportunity to participate in programs that educate them on their rights, personal-safety techniques and steps they can take in case of a problem.
Incorporating child protection information into other children initiation (CI) programs; in this way, ACFO reach a broader audience and reemphasize the importance of protecting children. By allowing all children and teens the opportunity to participate in programs regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity or religion.
Special support to pupils/ students
ACFO provides psychosocial support services to the learners as part of social welfare services. We provide scholastic materials washing detergence as necessity to learners to motivate them and eliminate trauma factors that divert their focus from class.
SPECIAL SUPPORT TO GIRLS
ACFO also supports girls in pivot period with reusable sanitary pads and washing soaps to ensure that they are clean, smart and do not miss class and do not feel stigmatized during menstrual circle. We put the interest of girls a priority at the center of all programs in schools and ensure their needs and performances are maintained at required standards.
GIRL CHILD EDUCATION
ACFO ensure every girl has the right to a safe, formal education and access to lifelong learning. However, due to a combination of factors, many girls are force to leave school while others never have the opportunity to go in the first place. School is a space in which girls exercise their rights, make their voice heard, and access their first leadership opportunities.
Being out of school does not just have devastating consequences for girls’ life opportunities – it places them at risk of teenage pregnancy, forced or early child marriage, female genital mutilation and other forms of gender-based violence. Education is critical in tackling harmful gender norms, and empowering girls to drive change. It gives girls the skills to become leaders, innovators and decision makers to tackle future crises.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION PROGRAM
The heavy dependence on firewood and charcoal is estimated to contribute to an annual deforestation rate of between 1.5 – 2.0 % annually. Even the climate change in the country has exacerbate access to safe water, lead to poor sanitation and food insecurity. The “flourishing agriculture sector, which depends on the viability of land and water resources, is crucial to long-term peace and development.
ACFO’s approach is that “disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation measures need to be implemented to build a climate resilient society”. These are done through conducting climate change sensitization, planting trees, environmental campaigns against throwing of rubbish around human settlement, and pollution of environment by placing warning posters in hot spot areas, garbage collection points, and advocate for dumping sites.
VISION
To invest in shaping children’s future that guarantees opportunities for real long-lasting change for families and communities around the African continent.
FOOD AND NUTRITION
The resilience of communities in South Sudan has declined and continued to be eroded since the eruption of conflict in late 2013. Compounded by repeated outbreaks of violent conflict, the deterioration of the food security situation and subsequent economic shocks have negatively affected households’ coping capacities and livelihoods.
Communities dependent on agriculture have seen their productive assets depleted, looted and destroyed, limiting their ability to recover and increasing their reliance on external aid. Two thirds of the population cannot access the food needed to cover their daily needs. This creates an opportunity for ACFO to engage in agricultural production and increase Food Security and nutrition (FSN) in the country to fight hunger. ACFO Resilience Strategy 2030, gives a guide for a multi-track approach to strengthening capacities depending on needs, vulnerability and access. ACFO’s Program Framework sets out priority areas to guide and support communities to bringing together the best local innovations and standard ecological practices for the agricultural nutrition transition in the country.
Therefore, to ensure sustainable increase in food production, ACFO have so far secured a large piece of Land 5 miles square in Maridi county (Western Equatoria State) for a sustainable increase in production and productivity of food crops along the value chain through institutional capacity building that will enable the producers to access suitable inputs and equipment, for corporative unions to sale crops to at a cheaper price and train them with knowledge and skills of crop production, post-harvest management and marketing. Emphasis is always placed on key Community Partnership (CP) and prioritize women and youth in the interventions.
ACFO also engages in the selection of commodities for enterprises and income generation which can increase average per capital agriculture-based income. We work with the relevant authorities and communities to support market development for selected commodities in the subsectors using the value chain development approach.
Increase resilience for livelihoods to fight hunger crisis; South Sudan is characterized by multiple crises and threats that include conflict and instability, natural hazards (such as droughts and floods), plant pests and animal disease. These can occur as a single event.
ACFO together with communities have developed complex resilience strategies and models to managing seasonal changes in food access. These includes; building food stores in all the states, supply and store food commodities to the market to cover administrative cost, stores food safely keep for emergencies. Also engages in the selection of commodities for enterprises and income generation, which can increase average per capital agriculture-based income. We work with the relevant authorities and communities to support market development for selected commodities in the subsectors using the value chain development approach.
ACFO also works with corporative Societies/unions to sale crops at a cheaper price and train them with knowledge and skills of crop production, post-harvest management and marketing. Emphasis is always placed on key Community Partnership and prioritize women and youth in the interventions.
HEALTH AND NUTRITION
ACFO ensures that children have enough conducive environment, which is safe, clean and free of sharp objects. We ensure access to safe clean water, safe sanitation and promote good hygiene practices to avoid health threatening issues. These involves construction of pit-latrines, hand wash facility and provision of dustbins, drilling of boreholes, communication sensitization and eradication of the dangers of living in dirty places, keeping personal hygiene in their families.
“Hungry children cannot go to school and learn”. Health and nutrition have significant impact on the overall educational achievements of school-age children. Ensuring that children are well fed, healthy and able to learn is essential to the effectiveness of education system. The main goal of the School Meals programme is to support the Government’s effort towards attainment of Universal Primary Education (UPE) and South Sudan Education for All (SSEFA) by provide subsidized nutritious meals to school children to improve nutrition. It is a significant strategy for reaching marginalized communities and families across the states of South Sudan to help increase enrolment, prevent dropout, end classroom hunger and stabilize attendance and performance at pre-primary and primary school.
ACFO will ensure Regular School Meals Programme (SMP). The Regular program involves the physical distribution of food commodities to schools; the bulk of the food is mainly from agricultural produces and other food supplement procure locally together with support of World Food Programme (WFP).
Provide examples of how these programs and services have made a positive impact
Discuss any challenges ACFO faces in delivering these programs and services
Since Central Equatoria falls within the tropic Equatorial rain forest, ACFO normally faces a lot of challenges during heavy rains between the months of June – October, this disrupts the normal program schedule as well as movement of Staff, beneficiaries and other stakeholders who would like to participate in the project.
Due to climatic changes, other production activities normally incur poor harvest, this is coupled with attack from pest and diseases. Currently other States are still experiencing violence, that is farmers – pastoralist conflict, this continues to interfere with the participation of targeted project beneficiaries because they are threatened, displaced, and thus social amenities are destroyed, therefore, the economic activities brought to stand still.
Delaying access to local government officials and constitutional post holders to plan and structure project activities; this in most cases affects the project implementation schedule. Sometimes there will be larger turn up of interested participants during project activities implementation which normally affects the already approved budge lines.
Economically, South Sudan is facing price inflation with uncertainty about fixed market prices of basic consumer goods. If this condition persists, will affect the expenditure against approved budget.