Continuous improvement to enhance humanitarian logistics
Since 2013, the South Sudan programme of Action Africa Help International (AAH-I), with funding support from UNHCR, has been implementing humanitarian logistics projects in Jamjang and Yida in Ruweng State. The projects cover logistics services, fleet and fuel management, mechanical workshop management, warehouse management, management of the refugee transit Centre (Level One registration centre for asylum seekers) and infrastructure development.
To ensure that our operations comply with the UN Minimum Operational and Safety Standards (MOSS), AAH-I has made infrastructural improvements to the logistics base in 2018. The changes include:
- Warehouse: Installation of solar lighting and putting up of concrete floors to maintain hygiene standards of stored core relief items for displaced communities. Fire extinguishers, industrial standard weighing scales and pallets have also been provided. Every single stock item in the warehouse now sits on these pallets, which improves the lifespan, hygiene and potency (of drugs) of core relief items. The installation of a CCTV system is also underway.
- Parking: Trucks and light vehicle parks have been constructed and now every truck, bus, road machine and light vehicle is under a well-shaded, spacious and protected parking area.
- Workshop expansion: AAH-I also operates a mechanical workshop servicing close to 100 light vehicles, 6 buses, 5 roads machines, 25 cargo trucks and tipper dump trucks and 30 generators in Jamjang. The workshop has expanded and now has new storage areas, expanded working spaces and new office block.
- Fence construction: The project manages about 1.2 million litres of fuel every year with an average fuel consumption across the refugee program of 85,000 litres per month. This is stored in 18 metallic tanks. To improve the safety of the fuel, a wall fence has been constructed around the interconnected depot and dispensing areas. This has improved the safety and accountability of the fuel.
- New office block: The base has set up an 8-room office block with a conference hall to improve working environment for logistics staff. The staff were previously worked from containers which hampered productivity, especially during the dry season when temperatures go up to 48 degrees Celsius. The office block is a permanent building that will be useful even after the close of refugee operations.
Improved parking area
Improved warehouse area
AAH South Sudan was started over 30 years ago and is the largest of AAH-I’s country programmes. The programme also implements projects in primary health care services, food and income security, education, water, hygiene and sanitation, infrastructure development and capacity building for peace and reintegration.