This project aims to improve the health of children under the age of five and reduce the number of children who die due to illness, in remote areas of South Sudan that are more than five kilometres from the nearest health facility. The project provides treatments for malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea for children under the age of five. It includes training community-based volunteers, most of whom are illiterate women, to provide simple treatments in their communities. The project is implemented by Population Services International in cooperation with non-governmental organizations in South Sudan. This project is part of Canada’s maternal newborn and child health commitment.
Results achieved as of the end of the project (March 31, 2013) include: a total number of 330,823 children under the age of five received treatment for malaria (129,008 children), pneumonia (91,315 children), and diarrhea (110,500 children) from over 7,200 community-based volunteers at an average cost of $8.51 per treatment. These results have contributed to reducing morbidity and mortality due to malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea among children under the age of five in South Sudan, especially in targeted communities which did not have a health facility within walking distance.
