Sudan - ACJR 2023 (Project) SUMMARY
The organisations united in the Sudan Acute Crisis Joint Response are responding to the humanitarian needs that are rapidly worsening since the violent outburst in April 2023. The recent surge in violence threatens to deepen the humanitarian crisis as the population was already struggling with poverty, hunger, and inequality. Life-saving activities are being implemented in the districts White Nile, Al Jazirah, Blue Nile, North and East Darfur and include protection services, WASH, acute food assistance, and cash support, specifically targeting those most vulnerable, including children, girls, and women.

The JR partners are:
FPDO and ASSIST, (Plan International), RAISE, (Save the Children), CAFA Development Organization, (Stichting Vluchteling/IRC), World Relief, HOPE, (Tearfund), Alsawaid Alkhadara Organizationc, (World Vision), SOS Sahel, CDF, (ZOA). As part of the Sudan Acute Crisis Joint Response Plan is responding to the humanitarian needs that are rapidly worsening since the violent outburst in April 2023. The recent surge in violence threatens to deepen the humanitarian crisis as the population was already struggling with poverty, hunger, and inequality.

The Inter Agency-Rapid Needs Assessment in White Nile in May found that 78% out of IDPs are children and women, and 2% are extremely vulnerable or at risk groups including elders, PwDs, and PLWs. Especially protection services were identified as being overstretched. Based on the identified needs, the IA-RNA strongly recommends an acute protection response, reviving CBCPNs, providing case management/FTR and advocating for/implementing MPC, all the while supporting children sitting exams this month to avoid prolonged loss of education due to the acute crisis. The project will address all of these very directly. WASH needs are also prioritised in the IA-RNA, which Plan has fully integrated into this action. In line with the protection cluster’s recommendations, the protection element focuses on the most lifesaving priorities, including the major gaps in case management, while MPC covers acute multisectoral needs. FPDO and Plan will establish mobile CFS to provide immediate PSS to 2400 most vulnerable children. This activity is complemented by the provision of MHM kits to meet the acute needs of women and girls. For the many children in need of immediate tailored support (e.g. UASC and CAAFAG), indicated by the protection cluster as the most urgent need in White Nile and with the biggest gap in current response capacity among humanitarian actors, FPDO and Plan will provide case management including FTR and alternative care. The protection response was co-designed by 4 CPiE experts and is thus fully in line with the CPMS and the cluster (e.g. budget per child, case workers per child, supervision of case workers, CPIMS+, etc). These immediate response activities are complemented by support for CPCs/landmines awareness, also agreed with the cluster, in order to add a preventive element reaching as many affected people as possible.

In addition to this, ASSIST and Plan will provide a comprehensive emergency WASH response in line with the MS & cluster, including the provision of clean drinking water, rehabilitation of handwashing points & latrines, and hygiene awareness raising through WASH committees. 700 WASH kits will be distributed to those most in need, complementing the MHM kits.
Finally, to meet the most acute needs holistically, Plan will provide MPC to 2266 individuals at $25 per month for 2 months (provided to HHs but calculated per individual) in line with the Cash WG and CAFOD/NCA’s approach. Plan Sudan has a very strong presence in White Nile State, having worked there for decades, initially in development programming and now in both development and humanitarian programming. FPDO and ASSIST are locally rooted and have been responding to the ongoing crisis and participating in clusters as well as the IA-RNA. The partners have local offices always within easy driving distance from the specific camps in which the project will be implemented. Operational presence and staffing are thus not an obstacle, with existing staff ready to implement the project as soon as it is approved. 

In terms of sectors, ASSIST has a decade-long track record in WASH programming and has WASH experts on staff. Plan also has a dedicated WASH team and a large WASH portfolio, with both organisations working in close collaboration with the WASH cluster and local government. For Protection, both FPDO and Plan have a strong track-record in White Nile, with Plan currently co-chairing the child protection sub-cluster. The design of the protection intervention involved 4 different CPiE experts at both local and international level, in close coordination with the cluster. MPC is implemented by Plan, with Plan Sudan being an early adopter of the modality, with a CVA expert on staff and an active role in the cash WG. As outlined in section 2b, the project was coordinated in great detail with the clusters, working groups and other actors. The project has been designed to meet the unique needs of female-, child- and elderly-headed HHs, CAAFAG, UASC, PWDs, PLWs.  Beneficiary selection will include vulnerability criteria covering all the abovementioned groups. The final selection criteria are completed in consultation with local communities. 80% of beneficiaries will be IDPs while 20% will be host community. FPDO, ASSIST & Plan propose an emergency response project in White Nile, providing MPC, WASH and Protection in Ad Douiem and Al Jabalien as well as protection in Rabak and Kosti. The project is aligned to the HRP and to interventions by other local actors and was discussed at length within the clusters. It complements other MPC/WASH interventions in Rabak and Kosti. 

FPDO and Plan will establish mobile CFSs to provide immediate PSS to 2400 most vulnerable children. This activity is complemented by the provision of 1300 MHM kits to meet the acute needs of women and girls. For the many children in need of immediate tailored support (e.g. UASC and CAAFAG), indicated by the protection cluster as the most urgent need in White Nile and with the biggest gap in current response capacity among humanitarian actors, FPDO and Plan will provide case management including FTR and alternative care. The protection response was co-designed by 4 CPiE experts and is thus fully in line with the CPMS and the cluster (e.g. budget per child, case workers per child, supervision of case workers, CPIMS+, etc). These immediate response activities are complemented by support for CPCs/landmines awareness, also agreed with the cluster, in order to add a preventive element reaching as many affected people as possible.

In addition to this, ASSIST and Plan will provide a comprehensive emergency WASH response in line with the MS & cluster, including the provision of clean drinking water, rehabilitation of handwashing points & latrines, and hygiene awareness raising through WASH committees. 700 WASH kits will be distributed to those most in need, complementing the MHM kits.

Finally, to meet the most acute needs holistically, Plan will provide MPC to 2266 individuals at $25 per month for 2 months (provided to HHs but calculated per individual) in line with the Cash WG and other local actors. 

Delivery model: Plan will implement the project together with two local partners, namely FPDO and ASSIST. FPDO will lead the protection activities, while ASSIST will lead WASH activities. Plan will implement the MPC activity as well as parts of WASH/protection. ASSIST and FPDO will jointly receive 38% of the budget and will receive 6% ICR in line with the cost sharing proposal. Plan will also provide capacity building to further strengthen the work the two organisations already do, and for the most part FPDO and ASSIST will be leading the implementation, as Plan’s budget is focused primarily on MPC (high activity budget but low staff/support costs) and supporting the Protection and WASH activities to be led by the local partners. Project management will be led by Plan’s local colleagues, based for the most part in White Nile. The JR will be co-led by FPDO.

Cross cutting themes: Plan, FPDO and ASSIST will have a gender balance in staffing and the start-up workshop will cover in great detail the varying needs of women, men, girls and boys and what this means for programming. Ensuring gender transformation is a requirement for all of Plan’s projects and this project will be no exception. Particular efforts are made to involve women and girls in the design of the action. The gender/age marker was applied. 
For accountability, beneficiaries have been and will continue to be consulted at every step. The project will be implemented adhering fully to the CHS and the IASC-AAP. Feedback mechanisms are already in place (incl. hotlines and suggestion boxes) and will be further sensitised among the community. The beneficiaries will be actively consulted throughout, in particular through the community-based committees set up through this project. At the start of the project they will be consulted on the best way to collect feedback to adjust the current methods if preferred. 
As mentioned, particular attention is paid to conflict-sensitivity, as community tensions would form a major threat to life. IDPs and host communities are both consulted and involved in the action. Environmental protection policies are in place and will be followed. Ongoing development projects are to be linked to the intervention to contribute to the nexus.