Where Health Workers Are Peace Makers

The IMC training center in Kajo-Keji is the biggest construction site in town. Once finished it will also be one of the most vital institutions in the County. But, most importantly, it will be a cornerstone of professional education in South Sudan and proof that peace has come to this war-torn country. Up to sixty health workers at a time will receive long-term, certificated training on the region’s most common and deadly diseases, immunizations, maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health, and HIV/AIDS, among other topics. The residential training center will have dormitories, bathrooms, and provide meals to its students. Instructors will provide theoretical sessions in the classroom and hands-on practical training next door at Mundari Hospital. When the graduates return to their homes they will be life saving practitioners in communities that have limited access to even the most basic health care. By delivering quality services they will help re-establish a sense of normalcy among people who have suffered from two decades of civil war.

Funded by a $325,000 grant from the Hickey Family Foundation , IMC’s training center will increase the number of qualified health workers in a severely underdeveloped and underserved corner of the world. In South Sudan, like in many other poor countries emerging from war, doctors are rare. Nurses, midwives, and health workers are the backbone of the primary and secondary health care system and their skills make a huge difference to the wellbeing of the population, especially children and women.

Long-Term Commitment for a Long-Term Peace

“It is going to be a training facility not only for Mundari Hospital here in Kajo-Keji, but for students from throughout the whole of South Sudan,” says Abdi Ali Mohamed, IMC’s Training Program Manager. Abdi has just finished a six week course for nurse aids working at Mundari Hospital in a nearby classroom with mud walls and a grass roof. “It was only a ‘refresher’ course, covering the basics. Training health staff can take anywhere from 9 months to several years. It is a long-term commitment and one IMC looks forward to achieving together with the Ministry of Health.” IMC has developed a curriculum that is closely coordinated with regional health authorities and adapted to local conditions. “Education has been so neglected that we cannot expect too much background from our students. But as long as the students are dedicated and can read and write they can become good health workers.”

The IMC training center is a prime example of a post-conflict development approach that encourages self-reliance through the transfer of knowledge and skills. And the key to success is partnership with the community. “IMC does not work in a vacuum. South Sudan is still in transition, with many government structures and services not yet fully functional,” says Rachel Taylor, IMC Field Coordinator in Kajo-Keji. “We must establish a system that is owned and operated by local and national authorities if we want to make a difference for the Sudanese people.”

Every brick the workers add to the new training center is a small step away from war. The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Accord between the Sudanese government and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) ended the war but making a lasting peace is a new and long battle, currently being waged throughout South Sudan. In Kajo-Keji, “The people of South Sudan are eager to benefit from tangible results of the peace, eager for things they’ve lived without for decades, like schools, clinics, clean water and roads,” says Rachel. “In Kajo-Keji IMC will provide just such a peace dividend by building a training center that produces qualified health staff.”