BRIDGE: Building Responsibility for Delivery of Government Services in Sudan

The signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) on January 9, 2005 by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement and the Government of Sudan brought an end to Africa's longest running conflict. The CPA carries high expectations for tangible peace dividends and an end to the insecurity that has displaced more than 4 million people inside Sudan and caused an additional 550,000 refugees to flee to neighboring countries. Communities into which these persons are reintegrating need assistance to construct water systems, schools, and transportation routes, and need access to agricultural inputs, training, and other critical services.

Through the Sudan BRIDGE program, Winrock International, together with its partners RTI International, ACDI/VOCA, PACT, and GOAL, will build Sudanese capacity to fulfill the promise of the CPA in the states of Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Warrap, and Unity. BRIDGE promotes community development and strengthens the ability of state and local governments to deliver agriculture, education, and water and sanitation services. In supporting the government to provide critical services and enabling communities to rebuild after decades of conflict, BRIDGE serves as an important link in Southern Sudan's transition from relief to development.  

Specific objectives:

• Strengthen the capacity of government to deliver social services and promote economic growth
• Strengthen the capacity of communities and government to jointly address community needs
• Increase food security and promote rapid, broad-based, and self-sustaining economic growth through development of the agriculture, fisheries, livestock, and non-timber forestry product sectors
• Increase access to safe water and sanitation in a sustainable manner
• Expand access to quality education

The heart of the Sudan BRIDGE program is to build Sudanese capacity and spark Sudanese initiative. Key activities include:

• Facilitating sector policy workshops, bringing together representatives from various government agencies to discuss and develop policies in key sectors.
• Training government officials on topics including financial management, human resource management, tax administration, community planning, gender, agricultural extension, value chain analysis, and English language.
• Facilitating town hall meetings, whereby community members and representatives from the government come together to identify and discuss community needs.
• Leveraging a Local Government Development Fund to support projects identified and developed by local government and/or community groups.
• Developing and supporting Community Action Groups (CAGs) and Women's Support Groups (WSGs) to help identify, prioritize, and address local needs. CAGs/WSGs are led by elected representatives from the community and play an active role in planning, reaching out to beneficiaries, and monitoring development initiatives supported by BRIDGE. 
• Supporting producer groups to increase agricultural development and food security. BRIDGE provides agricultural training (on topics such as vegetable production, post-harvest practices, animal traction, tree crop production, and fisheries), as well as micro-grants in the form of vegetable or fishing kits containing basic materials and tools.
• Forming and training Water User Committees (WUCs), comprised of community members and hand pump technicians. Training topics include: the roles and responsibilities of the WUC, operation and maintenance of the water point, hygiene and sanitation, action planning, facilitating community meetings, gender issues, and financial management.
• Coordinating a monthly water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) forum, involving representatives from UN agencies, USAID, local government, and NGOs working in the water sector.
• Constructing new water points and latrines, and rehabilitating old water points.
• Hosting hygiene education sessions for WUCs, Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs), school administrators, teachers, and community members.
• Improving teacher in-service training.
• Providing English language and mother tongue language training to teachers and PTA members.
• Conducting Girls' Education Campaigns to increase awareness and promote dialog about girls' education.
• Training Parent-Teacher Associations on government education policy, general objectives of education and its importance for all children, roles and responsibilities of PTA members, and school planning/budgeting.

In its first year of implementation, BRIDGE has achieved numerous results, including the following:

• Assisted  29 government entities
• Formed 36 Community Action Groups (with 33% women participation), 36 Women's Support Groups, 34 producer groups, and 51 Water Users Committees
• Trained 839 individuals on agricultural productivity and 65 government extension agents on agriculture extension methodologies, value chain analysis, and agricultural production practices
• Established or repaired 167 water points, providing 83,500 people with access to improved drinking water
• Trained more than 31,000 individuals on sanitation and hygiene practices
  Increased school attendance, particularly for girls, at schools with newly installed water and sanitation facilities
• Trained 29 PTAs