Building Hope on the Border: Cholera Case Management Training Saves Lives in Renk

In Renk County, upper Nile State, a major entry point for thousands of refugees and returnees fleeing the Sudan crisis, cholera remains a major public health threat, particularly during the rainy season. A single case of cholera can quickly turn into a deadly outbreak under conditions created by overcrowded transit centres, poor sanitation, limited access to safe water and recurrent flooding.

As part of efforts to enhance cholera preparedness and response, World Vision, through the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) in collaboration with the State Ministry of Health and the Renk County Health Department organised a three-day Cholera Case Management Training. The training engaged 15 frontline health workers, including nurses, clinical officers, midwives, community health workers, and Boma Health Workers from strategic health facilities across Renk. World Vision also runs a health facility in the transit centre two (TC2), bringing additional health services to the vulnerable populations.

One of the participants was Mary John, a volunteer at the Emergency Health Facility in TC2. Mary had the basics of cholera management before the training but was not confident in identifying severe cases and making quick decisions in an emergency. There was a significant strain on health workers. Many vulnerable patients came each day, dehydrated and exhausted from long journeys.

The training provided practical skills to people like Mary in cholera detection, triage, dehydration assessment, rehydration therapy, infection control and prevention, referral systems and outbreak response. The participants would be able to practise and build their confidence in responding to critical situations through massive awareness, assessments and doing referrals.

“Now I feel more confident to treat in time and refer severe cases appropriately. The skills I have learned will help me save lives and better serve my community.”
Says Mary, World Vision Health Worker, Renk County

The training has benefits beyond health facilities. Trained health workers are now actively educating refugees, returnees and host communities on cholera prevention measures, including hand-washing, safe water storage, sanitation and early treatment seeking.

Mary and her colleagues participate in community awareness sessions, spreading vital health information to newly arrived families and helping to disseminate life-saving messages throughout the community.

World Vision with funding from European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) has supported several health-sector trainings, including Comprehensive and Basic Emergency and Newborn Care (CEmONC/BEmONC,) Clinical Management of Rape (CMR), and refresher training on the Integrated Management of Newborn and Childhood Illness (IMNCI) for healthcare work.