The specialized clinic in Mundri, in South Sudan’s Western Equatoria state, is a rare and endangered facility in a country desperate for more mental health services.

Mundri West

A specialized mental health clinic in Mundri West, South Sudan, is facing an uncertain future as its international funding is set to expire. The clinic, launched in late 2022 as part of an initiative to introduce mental health care to over 20,000 people, is among the few of its kind in the country. Supported by Italian and Greek donors, the program has been a crucial resource in a nation where government-run mental health services are nearly non-existent and the health sector relies heavily on foreign aid.

South Sudan has one of the highest suicide rates in Africa, with the World Health Organization ranking it fourth on the continent and thirteenth globally. Recent reports from authorities in Jumba highlighted a surge in suicides, underscoring the urgent need for sustained mental health support. The International Organization for Migration notes that suicide in the region disproportionately affects internally displaced people, driven by factors such as poverty, conflict, and gender-based violence.

Mental health clinics in violence-prone South Sudan endangered

A specialized mental health clinic in Munduri, in South Sudan, is facing an uncertain future as its international funding is set to expire, threatening one of the few facilities of its kind in the country. The clinic, part of an initiative launched in late 2022, was one of the eight sites aimed at introducing mental health care to more than 20,000 people in South Sudan. When we were having problems in war, people lost a lot of their properties, lives, killing family members in front of the family members also, so these things caused most of the community to become traumatized and depressed. Backed by Italian and Greek donors, the program has served as a vital lifeline in a nation where mental health services are almost absent from the government-run health system. With South Sudan heavily reliant on foreign aid to sustain its health sector, access to psychological care remains severely limited. The World Health Organization ranks the country as having the fourth highest suicide rate in Africa and the 13th highest worldwide. Stress is the most problem that we have but we don't recognize because sometimes we feel that it is normal but stress might trigger, from stress can go to depression, can go to different things. Last month, authorities in Jumba reported 12 suicides in just one week, sparking public concern. No further details were released about the cases. Due to the nature of the mental ill diseases, it's a kind of a disease that runs chronicity, so people will get the recovery and they will be fine but if we didn't maintain and sustain that service they are receiving. In Sudan, suicide affects mostly the internally displaced, fueled by confinement and pressures related to poverty, idleness, armed conflict and gender-based violence, according to the International Organization for Migration.

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Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

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Brussels

Ukraine Invasion

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North Carolina

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East Coast of the United States

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Los Angeles

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Kyiv

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Breakdown