Guides Offer Resources for South Sudan Development Partners
Building on its work at the vanguard of USAID’s engagement in South Sudan, Policy LINK’s team there has issued the first in a series of resource guides that lay the groundwork for USAID and other donor implementing partners seeking to expand their programming in the country. “A Resource Guide for Building Community-Led Resilience: Lessons from South Sudan” brings together practical tips for working in areas hard-hit by “shocks and stressors” like drought, insecurity, and volatile transport routes.
The first volume covers “inclusivity and stakeholder engagement,” offering “good practices for establishing a foundation of trust” between communities and implementing partners. The practices are anchored in Policy LINK’s five-step approach to helping communities set their own priorities for donor resilience programming, as shown here:
This process involves careful coordination with state and local government representatives as well as civil society organizations and representatives of underrepresented groups like women, youth, and persons with disabilities. The coordination is also helping to earn credibility for USAID programming, paving the way for other implementing partners to engage within the 13 counties of USAID's Resilience Focus Zone.
In forthcoming editions of the resource guide series, Policy LINK will be documenting other methods that partners can use to be more successful in their work with local communities. An example of this is Policy LINK’s experience with hiring at the payam level, where transparent interview and evaluation practices have helped reclaim trust in USAID initiatives, especially among youth.
The guides, along with other source documents of value to USAID partners, will be available soon through Policy LINK’s forthcoming online resource portal for South Sudan.
Resources
Download “A Resource Guide for Building Community-Led Resilience: Lessons from South Sudan.”
Learn more about Policy LINK’s work in South Sudan here.