Photo Credit|Grace Dorong

The national humanitarian organization Roots of Generation (ROG) has launched its 2025-2029 Strategic Plan and Resource Mobilization Strategy, outlining a measured roadmap to strengthen community resilience, promote peaceful coexistence, and improve the lives of women, girls, refugees, and vulnerable communities across South Sudan.

The launch in Juba brought together board members, national and state legislators, representatives from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, the Commissioner for Refugee Affairs, United Nations agencies, and development partners.

Speaking during the event, Chief Executive Officer Grace Dorong said the organization will focus on addressing the underlying causes of vulnerability in communities where it operates.

“We want to ensure that we focus on resilience, but you find we are affected by conflict. There is a lot of conflict within the communities where we operate,” Dorong said.

She noted that recurring local conflicts continue to undermine development efforts and humanitarian interventions.

“These small conflicts affect what we do and that is our biggest priority, making sure we stabilize the communities so that now we can focus on resilience building,” she said.

Dorong emphasized the need to improve food production and reduce dependence on humanitarian assistance.

“There is a lot of desperation in the communities in terms of poverty, yet most of the land in South Sudan is fertile for producing food,” she said.

“Basically, we want to see communities coexisting peacefully, and the second thing is to ensure food is being produced.”

The ROG chief said the organization is investing in irrigation projects to help communities cope with unpredictable weather patterns.

“Despite the erratic rainfall, we are trying to supplement production by having small irrigation systems set up,” she explained.

“So far we have three irrigation schemes. One is already producing, while the others are still being developed. We want to achieve this outcome before the end of the five years.”

Dorong said the strategic plan seeks to mobilize seven million U.S. dollars to support programs in areas including Budi County, Chukudum, and Huwa.

She also thanked partners and communities for their support.

“Our message to our partners is thank you for standing with us. To the communities, we want to say we are with you, and we need your collaboration so that we can work together to achieve these goals,” she said.

Also speaking at the event,  Yawusa Daud Kintha, UNHCR’s deputy director for protection and refugee welfare praised the organization for its support to displaced populations.

“With the help of Roots of Generation, I am really happy that they stepped in at the right time,” Kintha said.

He said that the Gorom Refugee Settlement was originally established to host more than 3,000 refugees from Ethiopia.

However, he said the conflict that erupted in Sudan in 2023 placed additional pressure on the facility.

“When the war broke out in Khartoum in 2023, it overwhelmed the Gorom Refugee Settlement. We could not keep up with many of the needs,” he said.

Despite the challenges, Kinta said authorities and humanitarian partners worked together to maintain stability.

“Peace and security were good, and we made sure that we kept peace,” he said.

The five-year strategic plan is expected to guide Roots of Generation’s efforts to expand support for education, healthcare, protection from violence, food security, and community resilience across South Sudan.