Trócaire empowers families to recover and rebuild in communities in South Sudan

As Trócaire’s three-year UK Aid Match project comes to a close, families in South Sudan have renewed resilience after years of conflict and climate-related challenges.

With funds raised through their 2021 Lent appeal, Trócaire has supported families to grow and sell their own food, access clean water, strengthen their livelihoods and psychologically recover from effects of country-wide conflict. Women in particular have taken on more active roles in their communities, gaining valuable business and leadership skills.

Meet Mary

A mother of nine children, Mary lives in a community frequently affected by climate crises, such as floods and droughts, which ruin her crops. Tradition farming methods no longer provide enough food for her family, and she struggles to meet their daily needs.

Through the project, Mary has received agricultural training in modern farming techniques and been provided with seeds and tools to put her new skills into practice. Programme staff visit her regularly to offer hands-on-support, and her farm is now thriving, with improvements in planting, soil management and water conservation.

“Since the start of the project, my farming skills have improved, and my harvest, especially groundnuts and sorghum, has increased. Now I can sell a surplus and keep my children in school without struggle.” Mary.

Community handpumps have also been rehabilitated, providing safe and reliable water for the first time in years. This has reduced water-borne diseases and eased the burden on women and girls, who previously had to walk long distances to collect water.

Photograph: Mary and her children harvesting their groundnut crop

Mary has also joined a Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA), where she’s learnt how to save, borrow and manage money. The VSLA’s provide safe, supportive spaces where women like Mary can build confidence, share ideas and lean on each other. Mary’s group has created a social support fund to pay for school fees for orphaned children in their community, a powerful example of how women’s empowerment can create wider community impact.

“I didn’t know anything about saving before, but now, I save every week and take small loans to pay school fees for my six school-going children.” Mary.

Beyond farming and finance, the project has also established ‘Women and Girls’ Safe Spaces’ where participants can access psychosocial support and life-skills sessions. Here, Mary learns about gender equality and how to advocate for herself and others. In a country where insecurity and displacement can put women and girls at heighted risk of Gender-Based Violence (GBV), these spaces also serve as vital lifelines, supporting survivors to regain confidence and a sense of safety.

“I used to be quiet about my struggles, but I have confidence now to talk about my rights, and I support other women to know theirs too.” Mary.

Photograph: Mary in her community

Learn more about Trocaire’s project.

Over the past three-years WWF-UK, in collaboration with WWF-Kenya, WWF-Tanzania, African People & Wildlife and South Rift Association of Land Owners (SORALO) have empowered local communities in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania to manage their natural resources sustainably, with positive impacts for both people and wildlife.

Photograph: SORALO all female team of community rangers using a mobile phone to share locations before morning patrol. Credit: WWF-UK

Communities have been supported to live more peacefully alongside wildlife, protect their livestock with predator-proof ‘Living Walls’, manage rangelands sustainably, and women especially have been empowered to take an active role in conservation and develop sustainable enterprises.

A man stood next to a wire fence and trees

Photo: A Maasai community member helping to install a living wall boma at the home of Jopha Kakanyi. Longido, Arusha, Tanzania. Credit: WWF-UK

“We have to continue in making sure that we all focus on giving communities a chance to be the drivers of conservation in these areas because the land belongs to them”. John Kamanga, Director of SORALO

Watch their impact video.

On Tuesday 11 June, UK Aid Match grant holder ZSL held an event ‘Fostering coexistence between people and wildlife during global crises’ as part of their Science and Conservation series. They were joined by other UK Aid Match grant holders Ripple Effect, Tusk and WWF, who together shared highlights from their conservation projects and discussed important lessons to help shape future project design and implementation in this area.

Highlights from the projects

Since 2020, UK Aid Match grant holder ZSL has been supporting 4 communities in Kenya and Nepal to coexist with wildlife by increasing livelihood opportunities, building financial resilience and improving relationships with wildlife authorities. 

Climate change can have a devastating effect on people and wildlife living in these areas – drought and erratic rainfall can lead to poor harvests and livestock deaths, and the lack of water can cause animals to venture onto community land, destroying crops and killing people’s cattle, goats and chickens. This can bring communities and wildlife into conflict and worsens relations with protected area authorities.

ZSL trained nearly 300 people in human-wildlife conflict mitigation techniques, such as building predator-proof livestock enclosures. They also established community meetings with protected area and local government authorities, providing a safe space for expressing concerns and suggesting solutions to conflicts. Over 400 people are now active members of a community banking scheme, helping to increase household financial management, and another 400 people have been trained in new enterprises including vegetable farming, beekeeping and shopkeeping.

“I have learnt that the environment including trees are very beneficial to us. Even the way I relate with wildlife has changed. I now know they are of great benefit.”

A woman stood smiling while holding a goat

Photograph: A project participant with her goats

Ripple Effect and Tusk along with their partner Uganda Conservation Foundation, have recently completed a three-year ‘Living with wildlife’ project which supported people and wildlife to live side by side around Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda. 

Similar to ZSL’s project, crises such as drought, flooding, and COVID-19 had an affect on project activities. Flooding displaced wildlife, like hippos, from their natural habitats, pushing them onto cultivated lands and increasing human-wildlife conflict. COVID-19 led to market closures, leaving farmers unable to sell their produce, and the disappearance of tourism collapsed the local economy, causing a spike in poaching within the park.

Despite these challenges, by the end of the project, 37,000 farmers had improved food security and livelihood opportunities. A further 260 young people benefited from apprenticeship and vocational courses, which were set up to provide alternative income from illegal activities such as poaching and fishing which can lead to more conflict. Community members and school children were offered trips to the park so they could learn the importance of protecting endangered species and advocate for the protection of wildlife in their respective villages.

“…After the park visit, I came back to my village and encouraged poachers to stop poaching wildlife. Three poachers have since stopped poaching after following my advice”.

WWF’s Land for Life project is improving the livelihoods and wellbeing of Maasai communities in Kenya and Northern Tanzania through sustainable enterprises, whilst protecting and recovering wildlife in critical corridors in the area.

Over the past few years, with the uncertainty of climate change and the rise of COVID-19, people were struggling to make a living with some resorting to unsustainable activities such as wildlife poaching, cutting down trees for firewood, and encroaching on important wildlife corridors. 

WWF and their partners African People & Wildlife and South Rift Association of Land Owners (SORALO) are supporting 27,000 people to thrive with nature through community owned conservation. Maasai households transitioned from traditional corrals (enclosures for livestock) to predator-proof Living Walls which protect their livestock from carnivore attacks at night. These Living Walls involve planting Commiphora trees (or similar) in a circle around the perimeter of a livestock enclosure and secure with chain-link fencing.

Communities have been supported to understand sustainable rangeland management, learning to remove invasive plant species, allowing crucial habitats to regenerate. Further, the introduction of drought-tolerant sunflower cultivation and beekeeping has been successful in creating new economic opportunities.

“Nature has an amazing way of coming back, if you give it time and space”

A man stood infront of his living wall boma (trees and a natural fence)

Photograph: A Maasai community member stood next to his Living Wall

Key lessons and recommendations from UK Aid Match grant holders

Listen to the full event recording.