(AWEIL EAST) – A new approach by UNICEF is helping to fight child malnutrition while also promoting entrepreneurship among women in South Sudan. In Aweil East County, Northern Bahr El Ghazal State, a programme combining nutrition support and cash transfers is transforming both health outcomes and household incomes.
According to the 2024 Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), 2.04 million children in South Sudan are expected to be at risk of malnutrition in 2025 — up from 1.65 million in 2024. Contributing factors include food insecurity, poor sanitation, frequent illness and gender related barriers, all worsened by economic instability, repeated flooding and continuing insecurity.
In response, UNICEF and partners have ramped up a comprehensive approach to nutrition. This includes promoting breastfeeding and infant feeding practices, offering counselling, conducting cooking demonstrations and running kitchen gardens. Other efforts cover vitamin A distribution, deworming, and water and hygiene education.
Key to this initiative is the Cash Plus Transfer programme, part of the Young Child Support Grant (YCSG) funded by the UK government. It targets pregnant women and mothers with children under two, providing them with cash support alongside essential health and nutrition services.
In Aweil East, UNICEF’s partner Action Against Hunger (ACF) operates across 36 nutrition sites. Here, community-based groups such as Mother to Mother support groups have taken the lead, introducing the Village Loan and Savings Association (VSLA) model. This offers women the tools to launch small businesses and build economic resilience.
One VSLA group, which started in late 2023 with a capital of 220,000 South Sudanese Pounds (about $48), has now grown its funds to 8,000,000 SSP (around $1,739), shared among 30 women. This access to capital has allowed members to start trading goods, increase household food security and expand home gardening, contributing to healthier meals for their families.
Illustration – Growth of Group Capital in SSP (USD equivalent)
| Date | Group Capital (SSP) | Approx. USD |
|---|---|---|
| Late 2023 | 220,000 SSP | $48 |
| Mid 2025 | 8,000,000 SSP | $1,739 |
Angelina Atak, a VSLA group leader, said the programme has been life changing.
“In the past, many women were limited to housework. Now, we are businesswomen contributing to our families,” she said, voicing hope that the programme will reach more women.
Elizabeth Aheer Dut, a 31 year old mother of seven from Mathiang in Aweil, received a loan of 100,000 SSP ($22). She used it to buy groundnuts and produce peanut paste, making a profit of 50,000 SSP ($11).
Angelia Athian, aged 35 and a mother of five, said that before joining the savings group, she had no way to fund her business ideas. Starting with a 10,000 SSP ($2.17) loan to make cookies, she later expanded into clothing sales.
“I buy clothes for 10,000 SSP and sell them for 20,000 SSP, making a good profit,” she explained. “Before, we had to depend on relatives who were also struggling.”
Wol Wol Malek, a Nutrition Officer with Action Against Hunger, described the programme as a turning point.
“It’s more than income. These women are becoming self reliant. They are making bedsheets, growing vegetables, selling fish and even sending their children to school,” he said.
The programme also includes quarterly payments of $123 each, alongside access to health services and nutrition education. Over six months, beneficiaries received a total of $246.
UNICEF’s Chief of Office for Greater Bahr El Ghazal, Pa Ousman Manneh, thanked staff and partners for their commitment.
“This initiative has shown measurable impact, not just in fighting malnutrition but also in transforming lives,” he said.
The Young Child Support Grant marks South Sudan’s first-ever child-focused cash transfer project. Its pilot in Northern Bahr El Ghazal serves as a model for future national programmes under the National Social Protection Policy Framework (NSPPF).
In 2024 alone, the broader UNICEF nutrition campaign reached 2.48 million children and more than 1.5 million women. The initiative also contributed to the government’s approval of a national nutrition policy and a curriculum for training nutrition professionals.
