Accelerating Recovery and Resilience in South Sudan (ACCESS) FY23 – Semi-Annual Report (October 1, 2022 – March 31, 2023)

The project targets 25,198 households across 23 Payams in the Upper Nile Region and will phase out on December 14, 2023. The project's goal is to accelerate recovery and bolster resilience by providing essential complementary services that leverage existing humanitarian assistance. The main sectors of intervention include Food Security and Livelihoods, Protection and Gender-Based Violence, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, and Disaster Risk Reduction and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene. These initiatives are being implemented in collaboration with two local sub-grantees, Nile Hope (NH) and Humanitarian & Development Consortium (HDC). The project's purposes are to strengthen household livelihoods, agricultural productivity, and nutrition; strengthen community cohesion through improved disaster risk management, protection, and mental health and psycho-social support services; and strengthen coordination, systems, and learning on recovery and resilience. The project has made significant progress in the first six months of Fiscal Year 2023, exceeding the selection of participant households earmarked for the current year and reaching 14,627 participants out of the FY23 target of 7,148 households. The project has also drafted and submitted the FY23 Annual Work Plan, which provided the framework for the commencement of planned activities for the final year of the award. The project's progress is critical to preventing the occurrence of more extreme outcomes, as many households are projected to continue facing large to extreme food consumption gaps due to the protracted negative impacts of conflict and insecurity, poor macro-economic conditions, and high food and non-food prices. The project's implementation is ongoing, with a focus on providing essential complementary services that leverage existing humanitarian assistance. The project's progress will be closely monitored to ensure that the goals and objectives are met, and the project's impact is maximized. The project's success will depend on the continued support of the USAID/BHA and the collaboration with local sub-grantees and other stakeholders. The project's geographic focus is on the counties of Baliet, Melut, Nasir, and Ulang in the Upper Nile Region, where the project aims to assist vulnerable communities to promote and fortify their resilience to acute shocks and chronic stresses. The project's timeframes are critical, as the project will phase out on December 14, 2023, and the project's progress will be closely monitored to ensure that the goals and objectives are met. The project's main sectors of intervention include Food Security and Livelihoods, Protection and Gender-Based Violence, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, and Disaster Risk Reduction and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene. These initiatives are being implemented in collaboration with two local sub-grantees, Nile Hope (NH) and Humanitarian & Development Consortium (HDC). The project's progress will be closely monitored to ensure that the goals and objectives are met, and the project's impact is maximized.