Since its registration in 2009, Lacha Community and Economic Development (LCED) has been providing emergency services in the Greater Equatoria Region of South Sudan, distribution of life-sustaining Non-Food Items (NFIs), construction of life-saving emergency shelters, hygiene promotion campaigns, revitalization of local market economy with cash-based interventions, mapping and rehabilitation of community assets (water points and sanitation facilities), and capacity building of affected communities.
Over the past two years, the nature and complexity of our interventions has changed significantly, largely because of our experiences and lessons learned through our continuous monitoring and research that resulted in with new innovations to address the emerging issues with a contextual sensitivity. The new wave of the recent revitalized peace agreement of South Sudan also called for more flexibility and a shift from emergency to recovery, to development efforts.
In 2018/2019 LCED’s interventions aimed at promoting peace and attacking the root causes of poverty, such as gender and ethnic discrimination, so that more vulnerable individuals, especially women and Persons with Specific Needs (PSN) could access basic shelter, household items, Water and Sanitation services, and hard-skills trainings, enhancing their protection, hygiene, dignity and realize their full potential. Additionally, such interventions continuously focused on prevention of Gender-Based Violence, supporting marginalized people, especially women and girls, to take control of their finances and become self-reliant, and removing any obstacle to accessing health, education or other services, related to their gender.
It is for these efforts that during the three day National NGO and citizens’ exposition 2019 (28th-30th November 2019), LCED was awarded a recognition certificate from the NGO Forum of South Sudan for “Most Courageous Initiative”.
In line with the event’s team “Peace and Stability for Sustainable Development” LCED showcased its best efforts in the sectors of Emergency Shelter and Non-Food Items (ES/NFI) and Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), including innovative initiatives such as mixed cash and in-kind modalities, and engagement of the community in all stages of the project cycle, under the Accountability to the Affected Population (AAP) principle.
Planned interventions were also presented, including Income-Generating Activities (IGA), integrated WASH-FSL-ES/NFI response and Cash-Based Interventions to foster socio-economic recovery and resilience, in line with the LCED strategy 2019-2024 to shift from emergency to recovery and development in South Sudan.
The LCED management wish to thank our current and previous staff, which made it possible for the organization’s work in 2019 to have such a great impact. Particularly, a special thanks goes to our previous M&E Officer, Sherrie Lilian Rutandaro, which greatly helped LCED to become a model organization, through the implementation of innovating interventions tailored to the community’s needs, setting the right example for other NNGOs to make a great impact through their work.
An appreciation also go to our staff which took part to the NNGO exposition (Morgan Wani, Program Assistant-M&E, and Gloria Lusi Gulliver, Communication Volunteer) for their efforts in presenting the work of LCED to donors, partners and citizens of South Sudan, making it possible to showcase our best efforts and results.
Finally, we wish to thank our partners and donors, including UNDP, UNHCR, IOM, USAID/OFDA, UNICEF and UN OCHA, and the Government of South Sudan, without which none of our achievement would have been possible. At the same time, LCED would like to thank its operating partners, including a wide range of national and international NGOs. The technical and financial support received from partners and donors during the years have helped LCED shape its work and assist the most vulnerable individuals in remote areas of South Sudan with quality service. This is not taken for granted, and we pledge our quality service through transparency and accountability.