An 18 million dollar project led by the Danish Refugee Council and co-implemented by YSAT, addressing the root causes of displacement, hunger, and violent conflict across four counties in South Sudan.
Displacement in South Sudan rarely happens because a single shock overwhelms a community. More often, it is the accumulation of pressures — failed harvests, unresolved local disputes, restricted access to education, and the slow erosion of community coping mechanisms — that eventually pushes families to move. By the time displacement happens, the humanitarian response is reactive, expensive, and often too late to prevent the worst outcomes.
AHEAD takes a different approach. Funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs at a total budget of 18 million dollars, the project is designed around anticipatory action — identifying the warning signs of displacement before they escalate and intervening early enough to reduce both the humanitarian need and the underlying drivers of conflict. The Danish Refugee Council leads the consortium, with YSAT co-implementing across communities in Ayod, Magwi, Kajo-Keji, and Morobo.
YSAT's role draws directly on its position as a locally rooted organisation. In each of the four target areas, YSAT works with community structures to identify early warning indicators, support access to education as a stabilising force for displaced and at-risk children, and address food insecurity before it becomes a driver of population movement. The project explicitly frames peaceful, cohesive communities as both an outcome and a precondition for reducing future displacement.
YSAT works with community structures across Ayod, Magwi, Kajo-Keji, and Morobo to identify early signs of rising tension or displacement risk. By drawing on local knowledge and trusted community relationships, the project can flag emerging concerns before they escalate into displacement-triggering events.
Education access is treated as both a protective factor and a stabilising force for displaced and at-risk children. YSAT supports efforts to keep children in school across the target areas, recognising that disrupted education is both a consequence of displacement and a driver of further vulnerability for affected families.
The project addresses food insecurity as one of the principal root causes of displacement and conflict in the target counties. By intervening before food shortages reach crisis levels, AHEAD aims to reduce the pressure that pushes households toward displacement as a survival strategy.
Across all four counties, AHEAD frames peaceful, cohesive communities as central to reducing both humanitarian need and future displacement. YSAT's co-implementation role draws on its experience embedding peacebuilding activities within broader humanitarian and livelihoods programming.
Million dollar total project budget
Counties covered: Ayod, Magwi, Kajo-Keji and Morobo
Implementing partners: Danish Refugee Council and YSAT
Root causes addressed: education, hunger and conflict