Sawa Le Baad, which translates to Together for Each Other, was an overarching platform designed to create a more fair and just South Sudan, where families are healthier and prosper more because women can take part in making decisions about the health and happiness of themselves and their families. The integrated health campaign centered gender and power, offering a culturally appropriate framework to achieve gender equity, balance inequitable power dynamics, and sustain healthy behaviors. It reflects the importance and meaning of providing a level playing field – the idea of “justice and fairness” especially in regard to power relations between men and women, health providers and clients, and community leaders and members.
The project also compiled and developed numerous toolkits and other resources to improve service delivery, promote gender equity, enhance sanitation, and stoke community action to improve health outcomes. Given limited availability of behavioral data, Breakthrough ACTION employed co-design processes with communities to ensure resulting tools were relevant to diverse populations within the country. This process also strengthened partnerships, increasing key participants’ ability to carry the work forward in the future.
In South Sudan, Breakthrough ACTION developed the Red Boat, an entertainment-education program and community theater guide, to promote gender equity, participatory development, and community action. The Red Boat provided information on FP, MNCH, and WASH; increased dialogue and transparency; and addressed gender and power dynamics within relationships.
