A large and joyful crowd gathered to enjoy music and traditional dances at the handover of a primary healthcare centre in Mboro located within Besselia payam (administrative division) in Western Bahr el Ghazal, South Sudan.

Mboro has been significantly affected by conflict with poor health services and rising numbers of child mortality.

Lusia Angelo Limata, a resident of Mboro is five months pregnant. She has had to walk for more than four hours to the nearest clinic, despite inclement weather, for her antenatal check-ups. This handover by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) will change the course of her pregnancy, not least because of its location but also because of the maternal health services it is equipped to provide.

The project, implemented by Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) includes an observation unit, a consultation unit, a maternity ward, a pharmacy as well as stabilization and sanitation facilities.

It is the first of its kind in Mboro.

“I cannot explain my happiness today. This new clinic has everything an expectant mother could hope for and I am excited to give birth to my baby here,” reveals the 35-year-old mother-to-be.

54- year-old Bazilio Govu Bomisi shares Lusia’s excitement as two of his children are coping with complicated medical problems without a physician nearby. “I am hopeful that this clinic will be the answer to my prayers and my children will finally have the medical attention they desperately need,” he says.  

For his part, Dr. Francis Michael, Medical Director, Wau, asserts that proper access to healthcare is one of the primary benefits of peace that every community member has a right to.

“I believe this center will help improve the quality of life by ensuring the residents of Mboro have basic health care facilities,” he avers. “Healthcare isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity.”

Sarah Cleto Rial, Governor, Western Bahr el Ghazal, appreciated the UN peacekeeping mission for its commitment to improving the lives of remote communities.

 “We will continue to support all communities, create conditions for voluntary returns of displaced people and contribute to building a durable peace together with the people and the government of South Sudan,” adds Henry Sambai, from the mission’s Protection, Transition and Reintegration arm in Wau. “I am hopeful that in constructing this healthcare centre, we are addressing a necessary public need.”

The centre was constructed under the mission’s Quick Impact Projects programme.