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South Sudan

© Matthias Steinbach
Fieldset

South Sudan is the world’s youngest country, gaining its independence from Sudan in 2011 after a long civil war.

However, violence erupted again in 2012, when a power struggle between the president and his deputy gave rise to the South Sudanese Civil War. Millions of people have been forced to flee their homes and livelihoods.

South Sudan is located in Central East Africa and has a largely tropical climate, although areas in the north of the country tend to be drier and hotter. Malaria and kala azar are both endemic.

Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) first worked in South Sudan in 1983. Our work has responded to conflicts, neglected diseases and gaps in healthcare.

British doctor Jennifer Hulse is providing emergency care in Lankien, South Sudan
Welsh doctor Jennifer Hulse in South Sudan
Jennifer Hulse
Doctor
"Do children die in England?"
British doctor Jennifer is faced with tough questions as she adjusts to life in Lankien, South Sudan. In this moving story, she shares her first weeks of working in the emergency room and intensive care unit treating critically ill children.
20 Jan 2020 / 6 minute read
Samuel
Samuel Avubu
Audio diary: "I feel so much joy and happiness in my heart"
Samuel Avubu has worked as a watchman for Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Mundri, South Sudan. Today he shares some life-changing personal news...
08 Dec 2019 / 2 minute read
Nyame and her baby
Tom Niccol, MSF doctor
Tom Niccol
Doctor
"This is why we are here": The race to save a life in South Sudan
In remote Old Fangak, a woman is in desperate need of medical treatment. But with no surgical facilities and a runway too muddy to land a plane, time is running out... 
21 Nov 2019 / 8 minute read
An outreach worker in Bentiu
Elizabeth Wait MSF
Elizabeth Wait
Health Promoter
Let's talk about sex: STIs, stigma and South Sudan
Imagine striking up a conversation about sexually transmitted diseases with a stranger in a public place. Now imagine doing this in a foreign country with unfamiliar languages and cultural practices. Health promoter Elizabeth learns South Sudan is full of surprises...
20 Nov 2019 / 5 minute read
MSF logisticians unload supplies delivered by plane to Lankien, South Sudan. Isolated and difficult to reach by road, the project is often supplied by air.
Welsh doctor Jennifer Hulse in South Sudan
Jennifer Hulse
Doctor
From Snowdonia to South Sudan: Doctor delivers emergency care
On her first assignment with MSF, doctor Jennifer swaps the mountains of Snowdonia for the vast swamps of South Sudan to provide emergency care in the remote town of Lankien.
17 Nov 2019 / 9 minute read
Margaret Ngunang
Margaret Ngunang
Mental health specialist
Movie Night: Mental Health in South Sudan
A long stay in hospital is stressful for anyone, but especially for children. Mental health specialist Margaret shares a creative approach from a UN camp in South Sudan...
10 Nov 2019 / 3 minute read
A mother with her newborn baby in the maternity ward in Leer, South Sudan
Dan and Luise - MSF
Daniel Campbell and Luise Jaehne
“Maternity! Now!”
Logistician Dan is a trained first responder, but when he asks midwife Luise to teach him a few new skills, he's plunged into a life-threatening emergency where both a mother and baby face slim odds of survival. Told from two different perspectives, this story takes us inside the team at a maternity ward at Leer, South Sudan...
05 Nov 2019 / 14 minute read
View from the front seat of Dan's MSF land cruiser
Daniel Campbell
Daniel Campbell
Logistician
Before the next rain comes: mapping a race against time in South Sudan
With two patients desperately in need of medical care, logistician Daniel and his team must get them airlifted to hospital before extreme weather makes the journey impossible. He shares the story…
02 Nov 2019 / 5 minute read
Tom Niccol, MSF doctor
Tom Niccol
Doctor
An "ordinary" morning with Doctors Without Borders
What's it like to be a doctor in one of our projects? From his 6 am alarm through to fighting HIV and tuberculosis, Dr Tom Niccol shares his hectic schedule during just one morning...
23 Oct 2019 / 9 minute read
Margaret Ngunang
Margaret Ngunang
Mental health specialist
The beauty of movement: Helping young minds in South Sudan
Hospital is a tough environment for any child, let alone those whose families have lost almost everything. Mental health specialist Margaret explains why, despite conflict, displacement and illness, it’s vital to provide opportunities for kids to simply be kids…
09 Sep 2019 / 6 minute read
Hayes Wong - MSF
Hayes Wong
Doctor
"Another way": Trying to breathe in South Sudan
Searching for a way to save a young boy's life, US doctor Hayes comes to terms with the sometimes unforgiving reality of working in humanitarian healthcare
09 Aug 2019 / 3 minute read
The health promotion team in Bentiu, South Sudan
Elizabeth Wait MSF
Elizabeth Wait
Health Promoter
A small army of anthropologists
Could you talk to a stranger about something as sensitive as family planning? How about doing it in a marketplace or while waiting in line? British health promoter Elizabeth shares how a team in South Sudan are reshaping health education...
11 Jul 2019 / 6 minute read