JUBA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan and the World Bank on Thursday extended cash transfer and income-generating livelihood opportunities to refugees and host communities in five counties.
The four-year 129 million U.S. dollar project funded by the World Bank, which aims to strengthen the effectiveness of the national safety net delivery system, is being implemented in 15 counties by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare.
Minister of Gender, Child and Social Welfare Aya Benjamin Warille said during the launch, in Mundri West County of Western Equatoria State, that the project, also known as "Shabaka Meisha," targets 96,000 households.
"I am excited to inaugurate 'Shabaka Meisha' in Mundri West. This project will have a strong gender focus to tackle gender gaps and enhance women's empowerment by ensuring that 65 percent of the targeted project beneficiaries are women," Warille was quoted as saying in a statement issued in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
She noted that the project will also contribute to achieving gender parity by ensuring meaningful female participation in local community structures established by the project, promoting women's voices and agency in the community.
"'Shabaka Meisha' will provide cash assistance to poor and vulnerable households to meet immediate consumption gaps and build resilience to withstand future shocks," Warille said. "Targeted beneficiaries will participate in climate-smart labor-intensive public works or in behavioral change communications training that aims to promote human capital development."
The project will also sensitize and train households on financial literacy, water sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and early childhood development, helping improve their overall well-being, the minister said.
The South Sudanese government is being supported by the United Nations Office for Project Services to implement the project, which was officially launched in August 2023 at the national level in Juba. ■
