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South Sudan

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In South Sudan, the MSF Academy is implementing the Nursing & Midwifery Initiative in different project sites.

The Basic Clinical Nursing Care (BCNC) programme has already been fully completed in five sites in South Sudan: Maban, Old Fangak, Lankien, Malakal and Boma, where over 200 healthcare providers received their competence certificates. The BCNC is currently under implementation in Ulang and in Kajo-Keji. The Midwifery Clinical Care training programme is being rolled out in Old Fangak.

The Academy reached an agreement with the Ministry of Health to have the Nursing & Midwifery Programme recognised as a Continuous Professional Development programme with a title of auxiliary nursing for the lower cadre nurses.

Our Outpatient Care Programme has been implemented in Maruwa, Maban, Old Fangak and Lankien.

A clinical mentor and a learner during a classroom session in Malakal, South Sudan, 2023. ©MSF
Three graduates of the Basic Clinical Nursing Care programme during the graduation ceremony in Lankien, South Sudan, 2023. ©MSF

Nursing & Midwifery initiative in South Sudan

After conducting Competency Gap Assessments in 2019, at the beginning of 2020 the MSF Academy field team started the preparation for the roll-out of the BCNC programme in South Sudan: from September 2021, it started to be implemented in Pibor and Maban. Activities came to a halt and plans were to be revised, mainly because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but also for heavy flooding and handing over the project in the case of Pibor. In July, a decision was reached to start the BCNC learning programme as well in Agok, this time with a focus on the Infection prevention and control module. By the end of 2020, we had a total of 190 active learners in the BCNC programme in South Sudan, involving two projects: Agok and Maban.

  • In Maban, due to the project handover, a condensed four-months’ partial BCNC programme started in October 2020 and was completed in February 2021.
  • In Agok, the implementation of the BCNC programme with 120 learners that began in 2021 had to be interrupted in February 2022 and eventually stopped due to insecurity in the area, which caused massive displacement of population. All hospital activities stopped and the healthcare staff that were in the training relocated.
  • In Old Fangak, the learning activities re-started in March 2021. Thirty-five learners reached the completion of the BCNC programme in June 2022 and graduated. This proved a real first success in one of the most remote locations of the country. In a survey, all learners showed a strong appreciation of the programme. In 2024, we also began implementing the Midwifery Clinical Care training programme with 14 learners.
  • In Lankien, the roll out of the BCNC programme started in May 2021. Even though the learning activities were delayed due to Covid cases influx in the project, over 85 participants reached completion in March 2023 and graduated, with the Ministry of Health participating in the graduation.
  • In Malakal, the learning activities started in November 2021, and over 50 participants graduated in May 2023. Senior staff and community leaders express strong support of this programme, calling it one of the most significant events in the last years in Malakal.
  • In Boma, the learning activities started in July 2022, with over 30 learners, and in 2024 25 learners have received their certificate.
  • In Ulang, the learning activities started in September 2023, with over 50  learners.
Learners completing a handover process at the hospital, during a clinical mentoring session at a patient's bedside, Malakal, South Sudan, 2023. ©MSF
A learner practicing patient moving and positioning in the Academy's skills lab, Malakal, South Sudan, 2023. ©MSF

Scholarship project with the Juba College of Nursing and Midwifery

In South Sudan, the MSF Academy also supports a Scholarship project in collaboration with the Juba College of Nursing and Midwifery. We directly sponsor students from remote locations where MSF is working and, as such, aim to increase access to nursing and midwifery education for people from the more peripheral communities in the country. The pilot group started in June 2022 with six students, and currently 18 students are participating.

Outpatient Care Initiative in South Sudan

In 2021, the Outpatient Care learning programme started to be implemented in Maruwa, with the graduation of the participants in August 2022. The strategy for South Sudan was adapted in 2022 in order to better contextualise the programme to the level of the learners. A baseline core competency-framework was established, and a specific tool was developed to assess participants’ level.

In March 2022, the learning activities started as well in Bunj-Maban, with four learners completing the programme in August.

In 2023, the programme was implemented in Old Fangak, and in 2024 it was also fully completed in Lankien.