South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Simon Deng/Benjamin Takpiny
Plan International, an international development organization, has unveiled a new five-year strategy focused on empowering children, youth, and women. This initiative will prioritize key areas such as education, protection from violence, leadership, and economic empowerment.
From 2025 to 2030, the strategy aims to reach 5 million people, including 2 million women, 1.6 million children, and 1.4 million girls.
Paul Lusato, the Country Director for Plan International South Sudan, stated that the critical areas of focus over the next five years will include scaling up humanitarian efforts, ensuring quality education, and providing protection from violence.
“We are currently facing unprecedented challenges, including funding cuts and political and economic instability. Despite this, our strategy is forward-looking, agile, and centered on key areas such as quality education, protection, and youth leadership,” Lusato said on Wednesday at the Imperial Plaza Hotel during the launch of the five-year strategy.
Lusato acknowledged the challenges they face, including funding constraints and global political and economic instability, and emphasized their commitment to adaptability, innovation, and bold actions to navigate complexities while remaining steadfast in their mission.
“We must be more cost-efficient, maximize the outcomes and impacts from the dwindling resources we have, and be radically transparent and accountable in everything we do,” he added.
Angela W. Muriithi, Plan International’s Sub-Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa, and the Horn of Africa, noted that the launched strategy prioritizes education, protection from violence, and economic empowerment for youth and women.
“This new country strategy from Plan International is more than just a document; it’s a commitment—a promise to place the rights, voices, and aspirations of children, girls, and young people at the heart of everything we do,” Muriithi stated.
“We are reaffirming, together with all of you, our collective vision for a South Sudan where children, adolescent girls, and youth—especially young women—are not merely beneficiaries but active agents of transformative change, shaping their lives for the betterment of their communities and their countries,” she continued.
Stephen Kueth, the Chairperson of the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC), expressed that the new country strategy for 2025-2030 will ensure that South Sudan becomes strong, resilient, and independent in terms of programming.
“This event is not just a ceremony for launching a government; it is a collective statement of hope, purpose, and solidarity with the people of South Sudan—especially our children, girls, and youth—who continue to endure challenges,” Kueth said.
“We call upon our immediate friends, donors, and humanitarian partners to continue extending resources to South Sudan, because every child deserves a chance, and every woman and girl deserves to live with dignity and hope,” he added.
Kachuol Mabil, Undersecretary for the Ministry of General Education and Instruction, stated that the strategy places girls’ education, child protection, youth leadership, and humanitarian response at its core.
“As a government, we pledge to continue working with you and other partners to create policies that protect children, invest in education, and open doors for partnerships that bring lasting change,” Mabil said.
Hussein Abdebagi, the Minister for Agriculture and Food Security, noted that the new strategy has identified four key areas of intervention in support of government efforts, including providing safety, inclusive, and quality learning opportunities for children.
“This strategy comes at a critical time when our country is focused on sustainable recovery, development, and resilience—especially in the areas of child welfare, gender equality, and food security,” Abdebagi stated.
Plan International should continue to focus its interventions in the targeted states, and it is paramount that the government supports this strategy to prioritize children, youth, and particularly girls and young women, including those affected by conflict, displacement, and poverty,” he concluded.
The Plan International South Sudan’s new five-year strategy for 2025-2030 prioritizes youth engagement, ending child marriage, and girls’ education despite the ripple effects of crises, including shifts in global funding.
