By June Ojukwu, Community Service Delivery Advisor, MOMENTUM Integrated Health Resilience South Sudan, and Wani Evance Benjamin, MOMENTUM Integrated Health Resilience County Liaison Officer, Kajo Keji County

Sometimes a blog tells a story that touches your heart and sparks curiosity about what happened to the people who were featured. In this case, there is a happy update to a story that unfolded in South Sudan.

A May 2023 blog highlighted Jessica Kiden and David Tiban and their journey to a safe delivery of triplets with the help of MOMENTUM Integrated Health Resilience-trained health workers in South Sudan. Now, more than a year after their birth, the triplets (two girls and a boy), named Scovia Namule, Fiona Juru, and Tony Odale, are doing well and being monitored monthly by MOMENTUM’s Annet Namadi, a health worker in Kajo-Keji County.

“Annet is like a sister and a family member to us. We are happy that Annet was trained at the right time when we needed care at the family and community level,” said Jessica.

Annet has been conducting monthly follow-ups with the family to track the growth and health status of both the triplets and their mother to head off potential problems. For example, in cases of high fever in the triplets, which is indicative of possible malaria in children, Jessica and her husband, David Taban, promptly reach out to Annet. Annet, in line with national and international health guidelines, administers the proper combination of medicines (called artemisinin-based combination therapy or ACT) for toddlers as a part of the treatment, and then refers them for further examination.

As the triplets grew, Jessica and David encountered challenges in providing sufficient breast milk. During a household visit in January, Annet took upper arm measurements of the girls that signaled possible malnutrition. She then referred the triplets to a nutrition center for supplementary feeding and provided crucial health education to the parents regarding balanced diets and the importance of a kitchen garden (a small household plot with specific vegetables that provide key nutrients), especially during the dry season. Annet engaged a nutrition volunteer at the community level and collaborating with partners at the county level to try to secure seeds for a kitchen garden and nutrition supplements for the family.

David stated, “Without Annet at the community level, we don’t know if the children could have survived till now. She keeps assuring us that everything will be all right, and each time we are losing hope, she gives us mental care, including counseling.”

Due to a criminal attack in their village, Jessica and Taban, together with several other village households, relocated for a few days to a safer community a few kilometers away. Annet’s training in emergency preparedness and response (EP&R), provided by MOMENTUM, allowed her to accompany the community, and to continue follow-up care for the triplets as well as the community.

The family still struggles at times to produce enough food from their garden and are supported by others in the community. As part of efforts to ensure holistic well being, Annet and the MOMENTUM County Laison Officer have been working to help secure scarce seeds for the family garden, but South Sudan is now in its dry season. This makes it challenging to produce vegetables easily. Still, the family is managing, and the triplets are healthy and growing.

“I am very happy seeing these triplets growing, having followed them right from the time they were born,” concludes Annet. “The triplets show great improvement in their health. They are feeding well, and I am happy the family recognized my persistent follow-ups. I am happy to be trusted by the community and families. MOMENTUM has strengthened my knowledge and skills in dealing with different kinds of diseases in children, identifying pregnancy danger signs, and providing family planning at the community level.”