Capacity development: strengthened partners in South Sudan

Background information

Peacebuilding and reconciliation work in South Sudan are progressing only slowly. So are poverty reduction, education work and health promotion, which would be central to the country's development. In the current crisis, faith remains an important element and the commitment of the churches is crucial. But they are struggling to competently train their staff or recruit new professionals. The Presbyterian Church has the congregation with the lowest level of education. This is due to the fact that it is based in the Greater Upper Nile region. It has members primarily from the ethnic group that belongs to the opposition and is thus particularly affected by the violent armed conflicts. At the same time, the PCOSS is the third largest church with an estimated 1.2 million members. A human resources development plan developed by the church provides the desired structure and well-trained personnel in all important areas, who actively support the church and make its work sustainable and more effective. This is especially important for the national peace process, but also for the functionality as a church, which, unlike in Switzerland, has different departments to best support the people on the ground.

Project goals

The overarching goal of this project is to strengthen Mission 21's partner organizations so that they can be energetic, efficient and forward-looking, but also transparent and sustainable as strong representatives of the people on the ground.

Here, the focus is primarily on non-theological education. Because a church works in almost all areas. Only with well-trained church personnel and with strong and good leadership structures can the church carry out its projects sustainably in the long term.

It is important to also support positions whose importance is not obvious at first glance, e.g. as in the area of good governance (financial experts or human resources managers). A position in public relations is also beneficial for visibility.

Target group

Employees of the partner organizations should benefit from the training measures. They carry the successes beyond the project level to the entire population.

Activities

• Support continuing education in the areas of public relations, fundraising, medicine, English, Microsoft Office, and responsible leadership.
• Implementation of trainings in personnel and organizational development
• Improve infrastructure and equipment at headquarters and other offices to develop a productive work environment
• Development of a strategy for organizational development

Project progress

In order to have more well-trained staff working in PCOSS, the church created a strategic plan last year. In addition, there are now job descriptions for all positions to more clearly define the work. Together with an expert, a code of conduct was also drawn up to which the church can refer.

Since 2021, there has been increased investment in the areas of sustainability, transparency and good governance. This goes hand in hand with the Code of Conduct, but also with other policies such as the prevention of sexual harassment or the protection of children. This is an attempt to bring the church to a new sustainable and responsible level, which is indispensable in the international context, but also for the protection of the beneficiaries.