Water Institute of South Sudan Launches

On Friday, March 3, WFSS, in partnership with W12+ Programs, launched the new Water Institute of South Sudan in Wau. Funded by a private family foundation, the Water Institute is the country’s first water training program to help prepare the local workforce to monitor and manage water. In South Sudan and across Africa, 1 in 4 hand pumps is not functioning at any given time. The Water Institute improves water monitoring techniques and practices across the country in the face of climate change. 

The Water Institute addresses an important and overlooked gap. Research from UNESCO-IHE found that water management is “especially dependent on strong capacity,” and that “since the mid-1990s, it is no longer funding that is the main hindrance to progress, but poor capacity.” However, according to researchers, the vast majority of overseas development aid does not go toward education and training.

The pilot training brings together 16 government-appointed participants from four states. Participants attend a four-week learning module taught by expert South Sudanese trainers to gain knowledge and practical skills to apply directly in their daily professional work. This important initiative, which also serves as a peacebuilding effort in the world’s newest nation, promotes sustainable quality-of-life services to and with the people of South Sudan. The Water Institute results from a two-year partnership between Water for South Sudan and W12+ Programs (run jointly by EcoCiv and SOSNPO).

W12+ Programs and Water for South Sudan are proud to work with South Sudanese trainers and international experts to strengthen the technical capacity of providing and maintaining drinking water in South Sudan.

Learn more about the Water Institute of South Sudan here.

Participants and government officials attend the first day of the Water Institute in Wau, South Sudan.

A group photo of participants from the first day of the Water Institute.

Trainee discusses sources of water in their state