AFOD, through its donors, is contributing to national development by providing quality preventive and promotional nutrition activities, such as Maternal Infant and Young Child Nutrition programs. Additionally, AFOD offers curative services and integrates nutrition with health and WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) initiatives in Eastern Equatoria, Central Equatoria, and Western Bahr el Ghazal in South Sudan.
On June 1, 2024, the National Ministry of Health planned a countrywide campaign for Vitamin A Supplementation and Deworming (VASD) and Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) screening. The AFOD Budi field office supported and facilitated this campaign with the State Ministry of Health (SMOH) and the County Health Department (CHD). The activity was initially scheduled for five days, with an additional day allocated for refresher training. However, due to other challenges and factors, the exercise was extended to allow maximum coverage after the deadline in different locations of Budi, Terekeka, Wau, and Raga.
The objectives of the campaign were as follows:
- To ensure that all children aged 6 to 59 months receive Vitamin A supplementation (VAS) to boost their immune systems and improve their overall health.
- To ensure that all children aged 12 to 59 months are dewormed, which is crucial for preventing parasitic infections that can lead to malnutrition and impaired physical and cognitive development.
- To screen all children aged 6 to 59 months for malnutrition, enabling early detection and intervention, which is vital for the timely treatment of nutritional deficiencies and to promote optimal growth and development.
Refresher training sessions were conducted for vaccinators, recorders, and Community Nutrition Volunteers (CNVs) on MUAC screening and VASD administration. Trainers provided practical demonstrations on dispensing Vitamin A and deworming tablets, allowing trainees to perform return demonstrations.
The campaign achieved a 94% coverage rate for administering Vitamin A and an 82% coverage rate for deworming. This success was due to the availability of essential supplies, including Vitamin A capsules, deworming tablets, MUAC tapes, tally sheets for VASD and MUAC screening, clear bags for organizing papers and records, marker pens for marking fingers, scissors for cutting capsule gels, megaphones for mobilization, batteries for megaphones, waterproof packets for storing drugs and used gel capsules, and hand sanitizers. Additionally, vehicles and motorcycles were utilized for drug distribution and supervision.
Despite the campaign’s overall success, several challenges were encountered. Heavy rain significantly affected accessibility, making it difficult to reach certain areas. Some vaccinators did not properly store used gel capsules in the provided containers, and others struggled to understand their assigned tasks. Nevertheless, the campaign was largely successful due to the dedicated efforts of the staff and the availability of necessary resources.
To improve performance in future campaigns, it is crucial for the state government, partners, and donors to collaborate and ensure the early dispensing of funds, information, education, communication (ICE) materials, and medicines.
Administering Vitamin A to a child under 5 years in Budi County 
Taking the MUAC reading of a child during the VASD exercise to determine the nutrition status and provide action plans 
Reading of MUAC Tape recording for a little girl in Budi County 
Administering of Deworming tablets to a little girl under 5 Years in Budi
