KOICA Peacebuilding and Preventing Violent Extremism Programme

Community-based reintegration intervention in Warrap State, South Sudan

June 12, 2026

Woman in a blue patterned dress standing in a rural crop field beside a dirt path. — Mary Aliet Majook at the Pioch-bai Group vegetable garden

UNDP/2026

In the fertile fields of Greater Tonj and Gogrial East, a quiet transformation is taking root—one that is redefining the lives of women, returnees, and ex-combatants rebuilding their futures after years of instability.

Mary Aliet Majook, a 32-year-old female is a beneficiary of the KOICA Peacebuilding and Preventing Violent Extremism (PBPVE) programme in South Sudan from Tonj South County, in Warrap State, South Sudan. Mary found herself stranded in Tonj, torn between returning to the military she had deserted or joining armed youth engaged in theft just to survive. She recalls that, before the livelihood opportunity was provided, her life was “bored and miserable,” often going days without food or comfort. She felt isolated and judged by others for leaving her life “in uniform,” and began to seriously consider going back to the army or joining criminal groups as a last resort.

The KOICA PBPVE programme supported entrepreneurship training and livelihood kits to key Value Chain Groups, to transform lives from adversity to a peaceful pathway to reintegration. As a member of the Pioch-bai Value Chain Group, Mary has transitioned from deep uncertainty and vulnerability to a path of dignity and self-reliance.

This trajectory changed when the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) linked her to the KOICA- PVE programme as per the selection criteria. Through the entrepreneurship training and the value chain start-up kits, Mary was reintegrated into her community as a productive member of the Pioch-bai Group, where she embarked on vegetable farming. She describes this support as an “eye-opener” that helped her think differently about her future and choose a peaceful, economic pathway instead of returning to armed life.

Person wearing a blue and red patterned shirt squatting among leafy green crops in a sunny field. — Mary Aliet Majook, a 32 year old female is a beneficiary of the KOICA Peacebuilding and Preventing Violent Extremism (PBPVE) programme

UNDP/2026

Mary now expresses strong appreciation for the reintegration efforts of UNDP and the Bridge for Social Service (BRISS) CSO who led the community-based reintegration initiative in Warrap State, through funding support from KOICA. She is determined to use the skills and assets acquired—particularly in agricultural production and small business management—to “make a new turn” in her life. She highlights how the training has equipped her and her group with the knowledge to raise small-scale businesses during cultivation breaks and to prepare effectively for the rainy season. The support, she says, has kept her busy, focused, and hopeful after a long period of idleness and despair.

For Mary, this livelihood opportunity is more than a project—it is a lifeline that has redirected her away from the potential of joining armed groups and crime toward sustainable, peaceful work. She credits the programme and government efforts to restore peace in the county for allowing such an opportunity “” to reach people like her at the moment they needed it most. Mary’s story illustrates how targeted livelihood support can simultaneously reduce the risk of re-recruitment, strengthen local economies, and reinforce community peace and resilience.

On 30 April 2026, a monitoring mission to Greater Tonj and Gogrial East Counties confirmed the strong and growing impact of the economic reintegration support provided to returnees, ex-combatants, and internally displaced persons. Following the distribution of agricultural start-up kits in October 2025, more than 50 beneficiaries have established small-scale enterprises and are now generating income through horticulture and related value chains.

Group of people at a garden with rows of potted seedlings and a sign in the background. — Cross-section of 50 beneficiaries of the Door II Women Cooperative Group in Warrap State

UNDP/2026

In Wun-alel, Tonj South, the Door II Women Cooperative Group reported that its vegetable farming initiative is thriving. The harvested produce was sold out, allowing reintegrated beneficiaries to meet immediate household needs, pay school fees, purchase food items, and reinvest in their businesses. This progress reflects a meaningful shift from dependency to self-reliance, with beneficiaries increasingly able to sustain their livelihoods through cooperative farming.

In Wun-alel, Tonj South, rows of thriving vegetable gardens now stand as a testament to what is possible when opportunity meets determination. The cooperative’s horticulture initiative has flourished, with harvests selling out quickly in local markets. For many of the women involved, this marked the first time they could independently pay school fees for their children, provide consistent meals for their families, and reinvest in their businesses, which was made possible through KOICA support.

Group of people on an outdoor field tour under a shade canopy, inspecting rows of leafy greens. — UNDP and BRISS visit to the Door II Women Group vegetable farms in Wun-alel Area in Tonj South

UNDP/2026

A particularly encouraging example is that of Akuol Deng, Chairlady of the Door II Women Cooperative Group in Greater Tonj. By using proceeds from vegetable farming, she expanded into tea processing and opened a large tea centre, demonstrating how the intervention is creating opportunities for horticulture value addition and enterprise growth. Her achievement is inspiring other women and reintegrated beneficiaries to see farming not only as a source of food, but also as a pathway to enterprise development and long-term resilience.

Rows of green crops separated by dirt paths in a farm field.

"We have learned how to survive on our own without depending on others,” shared the Chairlady of the Door II Women Cooperative Group, reflecting on the group’s journey."

The KOICA intervention is also producing positive results in Gogrial East and Tonj East. In Gogrial East, 20 returnees, ex-combatants, and IDPs in the Louny-Aker Women Vegetable Cooperative Farm Group have continued to invest in seedling production and crop cultivation after receiving agricultural value chain start-up kits and entrepreneurship training. In Tonj East, members of the Koc-rot IGA group are advancing in horticulture despite intermittent flooding and drought, using climate-resilient approaches to sustain production and protect their livelihoods. By adopting climate-resilient farming practices, they continue to produce crops even amid cycles of flooding and drought, demonstrating climate-resilient adaptability and long-term sustainability.

Farm field with rows of leafy crops, a dirt path, and distant trees on the horizon. — Louny-Aker Women Vegetable Cooperative Farm Group, Women in -Gogrial East County.

UNDP/2026

Across these communities, the KOICA PBPVE programme initiative is doing more than generating income—it is restoring dignity, strengthening social cohesion, and equipping individuals with the skills and confidence to shape their own futures.

What began as a reintegration effort has grown into a vibrant, community-led movement of economic empowerment—one harvest, one business, and one success story at a time.