A new five-year project will improve HIV care in South Sudan, including HIV testing and counseling, treatment, access to antiretroviral therapies, and services for children who live with HIV. The project—called Strengthening the Capacity to Scale-up HIV, Prevention, Care, and Treatment Programs in South Sudan—was awarded to IntraHealth International by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Since 2005, IntraHealth has worked in South Sudan to address HIV in the country’s military and in local communities. South Sudan’s economy and health systems have struggled to recover from the 22-year civil war that ended in 2005. And when war broke out again in 2013, it brought not only violence but cholera outbreaks, food shortages, and widespread malnutrition.

The ongoing conflict has also weakened the country’s already-fragile health system.

Through this new award, IntraHealth will continue to work with local partners in South Sudan to strengthen the country’s health workforce and prepare them to offer high-quality HIV services, particularly in Central and Eastern Equatoria, which have some of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the country (3.9% and 3.4%, respectively). Compared to other parts of sub-Saharan Africa, HIV prevalence is relatively low in South Sudan—2.6% among adults. But Central and Eastern Equatoria share borders with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Kenya, and Ethiopia, all of which have greater numbers of people living with HIV.

Side by side with South Sudan’s Ministry of Health, we will provide mentorship and work to build capacity within the ministry and for our implementing partners.

“Amidst the violence of the past two years, too many people in South Sudan have been left without access to health care or food,” says Anne Kinuthia, IntraHealth’s country director in South Sudan. “War is traumatic for any population—and it also creates the ideal conditions for HIV rates to spike. The Ministry of Health and health workers throughout the country must be ready for this new challenge and to care for those who are already facing it.”

IntraHealth’s Strengthening the Capacity to Scale-up HIV, Prevention, Care, and Treatment Programs in South Sudan project is funded by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and builds on the achievements of the Preventing and Reducing the Impact of HIV in South Sudan project, which ended in 2015.

Read more about IntraHealth’s work in South Sudan.