Quick Impact Projects are small-scale initiatives funded by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan to benefit local communities across the country. But how are these investments faring, and do they stand the test of time?

Staff at the peacekeeping mission’s field office in Eastern Equatoria State decided to pay a couple of them a visit to find out.

Opari, where a new maternity ward was constructed some time ago, is the first stop.

Before the building was completed, local resident Daro Beatrice Joseph was afraid of the potential health implications of undertaking the bumpy trip to faraway Nimule to deliver the baby she was expecting. Keeping her fingers crossed, she was keenly following the work being done at the construction site.

“I would pass by it every morning, checking on the progress and making enquiries about when the ward would be completed,” Beatrice recalls.

Her “timing”, however, turned out to be perfect: just a few days after the inauguration of the new facilities she could deliver her child in her home village. All went well.

Her story resonates with other women here. Jane Casara Luth, a fellow representative of a local women’s group, praises the fact that clean water is available at the ward.

“It really helps a lot, making everything safer and more convenient,” she says.

So, no doubt a success story, but a few teething challenges persist.

“We have neither a midwife nor a doctor,” says Gobua Charles, a youth leader who doubles as the person in charge of the ward.

“Our supplies of vaccines for infants are inadequate, so mothers have to go to Nimule for those,” informs Ayaasunta Aganyi, the traditional birth attendant. She explains that low birth rates mean that lots of vaccine doses would expire and go to waste if a multi-dose vial is opened to administer one single jab.

Onwards to Chukudum, where the peacekeeping mission has funded a new prison block.

“In the old prison, male and female inmates shared the same space, resulting in frequent cases of sexual and gender-based violence and even women becoming pregnant,” reveals Flora Charles, a women’s group leader.

“This project definitely came at the right time,” affirms Voya James, another resident.

People in Chukudum are keen to point out, however, that more investments and resources are needed.

“As you can see, we still don’t have a fence around the prison. So, we must do what we can to ensure security around the perimeter,” says Lieutenant Peter Lokyang Soliman, acting director of the facility.

“We also need many more trained female police officers to handle women’s issues, both here at the prison and in the traditional court,” Flora Charles chips in.

Discussions with community members quickly result in more items being added to the wish list, including a police post.

“We need one to handle conflict-prone areas,” states youth leader Chopoyok Augustino, who also believes that the local court would function better with more trained personnel.

Local authorities have promised to contribute to the establishment of the missing pieces of the judicial jigsaw puzzle, but so far these efforts are conspicuous by their absence.

“We will continue to engage with the government to fulfil their pledges, but in the meantime maybe you can mobilize materials locally to build the prison fence, for example,” suggests Tito Awando, who serves with the peacekeeping mission.

While the visiting UN team is collecting information about the relative success of the Quick Impact Projects inspected, Christopher Burke is scribbling away in his notebook. He is a consultant accompanying the peacekeepers on this trip, getting first-hand impressions of the usefulness of these infrastructure initiatives in the communities.

“I want to better understand how projects to fund are selected and monitored, and how the coordination between the peacekeeping mission and different stakeholders work,” Mr. Burke explains.

He may need a lot more details, but Mr. Burke is no doubt familiar with the basic principle: projects to support are chosen in close consultation with local community development grant committees, which in turn are made up of residents and representatives from the government and civil society organizations.