Widows and Orphans Charitable Organization (WOCO) and Smile Again Africa Development Organization (SAADO) have introduced a new method to deal with child well-being in the community. The new approach dubbed the "seeds" is being implemented in Malakal PoC and Malakal Town. The program is part of DRA funded Innovation to support communities to take lead in identifying harms that affect children wellbeing and find a locally appropriate solutions to the social issues that affects children mental health and psychosocial wellbeing.
The organizations in their first meeting have met with the state-line authorities to seek permission to work with the communities. They met the state Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare and Relief and Rehabilitation Commission. The Director General of Gender, Child and Social Welfare Mary Hassan said that, "this is a good program for the communities. This is the time communities will be able to solve their problems in their own ways".
WOCO and SAADO have separately established community dialogues with the community leader to introduce the "seeds". Seeds is a community-led approach to child's wellbeing that is built on mutual trust and a belief that communities have the capacities to deal with issues that affect their children wellbeing.
WOCO is implementing the program in PoC sector three while SAADO is implementing it at Assosa, a community suburb in the neighborhoods of Malakal town.
Children in South Sudan have witnessed grave violations since 2013, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Girls and boys are severely affected by conflicts and distress due to violence and displacements.
This program would empower communities to identify locally tailored solutions to those harms which are behind children wellbeing in the community.
Both WOCO and SAADO have successfully started their campaign by introducing seeds to the communities while coaches in their initial intervention have put to action all the coaching skill they acquired during a training in Juba last month in July.