A case study of the sustainability-focused monitoring of the Basic Services Fund (2006-2012) in South Sudan

After decades of civil war, the Basic Services Fund (BSF) with DFID as lead donor, was a major contributor to the reconstruction efforts of the Government of South Sudan to develop its basic services, including improving access to safe water. Between 2006 and 2012, 29 NGOs received grants to improve water supply in the most remote areas of the country. In a post conflict context, sustainability of interventions is often a challenge: the BSF Secretariat took therefore an active role in guiding NGOs towards a more consistent, efficient and sustainable way of implementing WASH projects. Recommendations provided focused on sustainability with the aim to move away from intensive, short-term initiatives inspired by humanitarian concerns to long-term and better planned recovery projects. BSF being recognized as a successful funding mechanism, this article describes the sustainability-focused monitoring approach of the BSF Secretariat, and highlights the main lessons learned.