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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.

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
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
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... 
08 Oct 2019 / 8 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
A member of MSF staff crosses a swamp in South Sudan
Elizabeth Wait MSF
Elizabeth Wait
Health Promoter
First assignment: Preparing for the swamps
From wading through wetlands to cooking on open campfires, British health promoter Elizabeth has an unexpected first assignment ahead of her…
28 Mar 2019 / 4 minute read
MSF-Nurse Thok Johnson working in a mother-child-project in Goronyo town, in the north of Nigeria.
Thok Johnson MSF
Thok Johnson
Nurse
From child refugee to MSF medic: This is my incredible story
When a humanitarian team saved his young life, South Sudanese refugee Thok was inspired to one day become a nurse and "return the favour"​
25 Mar 2019 / 5 minute read
Crossing a swamp in South Sudan
Melissa Buxton - MSF
Melissa Buxton
Nurse
Crossing the swamp: How we get healthcare to the people in remote South Sudan
Sometimes MSF staff have to go the extra mile to reach patients, even if it’s through a vast swamp. British nurse Melissa shares her story...
19 Mar 2019 / 9 minute read
Joanne Perry - MSF
Joanne Perry
Doctor
A midwife in South Sudan: “She will sometimes sing to them between contractions”
The majority of MSF teams are not made up of international staff from overseas. Instead, from conflict zones to epidemics, most of our medical and logistical teams are people working in their home countries, using their skills where they are desperately needed. Joanne, a Canadian doctor in South Sudan, celebrates one of our incredible local midwives.
19 Dec 2018 / 6 minute read
Stephen midwife Malakal MSF
Obulejo Stephen Melebi
Midwife
Innovation: How ultrasound is saving lives in South Sudan
Stephen is a midwife from South Sudan, working with MSF in Malakal camp to provide care to people displaced by conflict. In this post, he explains how new kit and training in "point-of-care" ultrasound scans are helping midwives like him make life-saving diagnoses.
12 Nov 2018 / 5 minute read
An MSF land cruiser and quad bike in South Sudan
Alexandra Schuster MSF
Alexandra Schuster
Logistician
My life as a flying mechanic in South Sudan
Alexandra Schuster works as a “flying mechanic” in South Sudan, travelling across the country to provide the urgent technical support that can keep a remote medical project running. In this blog, she shares her thoughts on her first ever mission with Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
30 Aug 2018 / 4 minute read