For three days, 20-23 November 2024, Dr. Bill Walhook conducted a training course on qualitative research methods. The participants were three peer researchers who will conduct qualitative interviews in PoC1, PoC3, and Mangateen. The training covered how to conduct qualitative interviews, the process of asking for informed consent, and how to record an interview. The topic guide was translated from English into Nuer together with the peer researchers.

Today, Friday 8 November 2024, the Continuity project team, led by Dr. Bill Walhook, Dr. Tania Draebel, and Dr. Bishal Gyawali, conducted training for the selected 3 peer researchers who will be part of qualitative research interviews with the Continuity focus group's participants.

Today, Thursday 7 November 2024, the Continuity project team, led by Dr. Bill Walhook, conducted training for the selected 3 peer researchers who will be part of qualitative research interviews with the Continuity focus group's participants.

Today, Tuesday 5 November 2024, the Continuity project team, led by Dr. Bill Walhook and Dr. Flora Lado, conducted the second day of peer researchers' assessment as part of preparations for qualitative research for the project. Nine peer researchers attended the exercise.

Today, Monday 4 November 2024, the Continuity project team, led by Dr. Bill Walhook and Dr. Flora Lado, conducted the peer researchers' assessment as part of preparations for qualitative research for the project. The exercise was attended by 9 peer researchers.

On Thursday 24 October 2024, the 7th three-day workshop for training peer researchers for the Continuity Project closed. The training covered different aspects of the Continuity Project research methodology, conduct of interviews, ethical issues, confidentiality, and consent.

On Tuesday 22 October 2024, the Center for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS) launched the seventh three-day workshop for training peer researchers for its Continuity Project. The workshop is facilitated by Dr. Bill Walhook, Dr. Flora Lado, Dr. Tania Draebel, and Bishal Gyawali. The workshop will close on 24 October 2024.

At the sidelines of the Horn Dialogue II, a conference which was hosted by the Institute for Foreign Affairs (IFA), the Center for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with IFA. The MOU was signed on Friday, 22 April 2024, in Addis Ababa by Dr. John Gai Yoh, the founder and chair of the Board of Directors of CSPS and on behalf of IFA by Dr. Jafar Bedru, the Executive Director. The MOU aims to cement the institutional cooperation between the two think tanks in different mutual areas of interest. The MOU shall be operational for 5 years, subject to renewal by the two parties. CSPS expresses its gratitude to the leadership of the Ethiopian embassy in Juba and colleagues at IFA, who facilitated the process and preparation for the MOU, which eventually led to its signing.

The Global Affairs Canada/Embassy of Canada to South Sudan, International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Center for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS) co-hosted a two half-day conference on strengthening governance to promote coordinated responses to the interlinked crises of food security, climate change and forced displacement in South Sudan.
The conference was held at Pyramid Hotel, Juba, on March 19-20, 2024.
Participants included ministers, policy makers, academics, think tank researchers, diplomatic community, civil society representatives and senior managers from IDRC and the Canadian Ambassador to South Sudan among others.
Papers were presented by experts on food security, climate change and forced displacement in South Sudan.

The project is led by CSPS experts, Dr. Melha Rout Biel, Dr. Flora Lado and Mr. Christopher Awii Emilio. It is being implemented in three states: Eastern Equatoria, Torit, Western Bahr El Ghazal (Wau), and Unity State, (Bentiu).
The project aims:

1. To support the National Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare to develop a three-year strategic plan with at least a one-year work plan.
2. To build the capacity of staff in the state ministries of Gender, Child and Social Welfare of Eastern Equatoria, Western Bahr Al Ghazal and Unity States in order to understand the existing national polices, gender mainstreaming as well as gender budgeting processes.
3. To support the harmonization and coordination approaches to the implementation of government and international policies to which the country is signatory to.

The CSPS team has completed the first phase of research and training, from February 26- to March 1st, 2024, and are commencing the final stage from February 11-14 March, 2024, which is the validation workshop of the research, after which they shall hand over the final product of the project to the UNDP, the funding agency of the project.

CSPS held the 5th training workshop for the Peer researchers for Continuity project, which lasted for five days from 19 to 23 February 2024, led by Dr. Bill Walhook, Dr. Tania Draebel and Dr. Flora Lado. The workshop focused, among other themes, on the continuity project, its research objectives and qualitative and quantitative methods.
It also dealt with the following questions:

1. How to tell stories using photos to voice personal stories and show how to express concerns
2. What patients can do to get proper diagnosis of Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes
3. Telling stories about who and what others can do to help patients interact with staff at health centers.
4. Identify, share and discuss cross-cutting themes
5. Identify the narratives, which are told in identified cross-cutting themes
6. Learning experiences from creating stories using photo-voice: and discern what went well and what was difficult
7. How to do things better for tomorrow?
8. Lessons learned / take home messages.

On Tuesday 7 November 2023, CSPS House hosted the 4th Continuity Project consultation workshop with Peer Researchers in order to review and evaluate of the photo voice training and to prepare for the upcoming workshop in January 2024. The consultation was attended by all the peer researchers and was facilitated by Dr. Bill Walhook and Dr. Flora Lado. Researchers were also introduced to the use of diabetes glucose meters and BP monitor machines.

On Monday 16 October 2023, Mr. Lothar Jaschke, Deputy Head of Delegation/Head of Political, Press and Information Section, European Delegation to South Sudan and colleague, paid a courtesy visit to the CSPS House to acquaint themselves with activities and programs of the Center. Mr. Jaschke and his colleague were received by Dr. Melha Rout Biel, the Executive Director of CSPS. They discussed areas for cooperation, particularly in research and exchange programs.

A workshop was conducted at CSPS house by Dr. Bill Walhook, Dr. Tania Traebel and Mr. Bishal Gyawali during the period from Tuesday 3rd to Friday 6th October 2023. The workshop covered, among others, the following themes:

1. Introduction to analysis and identification of cross-cutting themes
2. Identification of the narratives, which are told in the identified cross-cutting themes.
3. Discuss CONTINUITY project, qualitative methods and photovoice
4. Learning experiences from doing photovoice: what went well and what was difficult
5. Exhibition of selected photos and films

The project is being implemented by CSPS in collaboration with University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Public Health, Denmark.

The management team of the Sub-Study 3: South Sudan for the “Continuity Project for Hypertension and Diabetes Miletus Type 2 among IDPs in Juba”, has completed the recruitment and training of thirteen (13 peer researchers for the research project). The training was carried out by Dr. Bill Walhook , Dr. Flora Lado and Dr. Tania Traebel at CSPS house during the period from Monday 19 to Friday 23 June 2023. The training covered different aspects of the project: review of the research objectives, theoretical and practical aspects as well as the research tools, including conducting direct interviews and photo voice. The project is being implemented by CSPS in collaboration with University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Public Health, Denmark.

Today, Monday 6th March,2023, Mr. Gregory from International Republican Institute in Washington DC visited CSPS in Juba. The Staff of CSPS was pleased to have fruitful discussions with Mr. Greg on how the Think Tank institution such as CSPS can contributes on building a democratic nation.