Evidence-Based Humanitarian Aid Delivery in South Sudan (2024-2025)
In partnership with the United Nation’s International Organization for Migration in South Sudan (IOM), this team worked to make humanitarian aid delivery in South Sudan more effective and equitable.
Students refined a novel index that measures six dimensions of national-level “fragility” – societal, economic, political/legal, security, environmental/climate, and human – to inform humanitarian programming and policy in South Sudan. This index was successfully piloted in 2023 through a household survey of 2,200 South Sudanese respondents in four counties where the IOM is engaged in humanitarian and development assistance.
Team members analyzed a second round of data and developed a matrix of evidence-based decision rules to advise humanitarian and development actors on the optimal allocation of aid and programming across diverse communities with varying needs.
Students had the opportunity to learn more about humanitarian aid and peacebuilding; research design and ethics; analyze original data; coauthor chapters of a joint IOM-Duke report; summarize and visualize research findings in other formats including social media and blog posts; and engage with IOM and other international, regional and local stakeholders in South Sudan.
Timing
Fall 2024 – Summer 2025
Team Outputs
Strengthened the established partnership between Duke and the IOM in South Sudan
Traveled to Washington, D.C. to share findings with the U.S. State Department and IOM
IOM-Duke report summarizing study findings and recommendations for humanitarian programming and policy in South Sudan
Provided mentorship, capacity-building and professional development opportunities for South Sudanese students and researchers at the University of Juba
Infographics and one-page summaries to disseminate to stakeholders