Effect of Community Participation on Sustainability of Donor Funded Projects in Chukudum, Budi County

Abstract

South Sudan is one of the main recipients of donor funds to implement development and humanitarian projects aimed at alleviating poverty. However, the sustainability of project’s net benefits is continuously lacking despite billions of monies donated for projects throughout the country. This study investigated the effects of community participation on the sustainability of donor-funded projects in South Sudan using a case of Chukudum, Budi County. The study used a descriptive research design. The target population was 300 people with a sample size of 75 persons. Stratified random and purposive sampling techniques were used. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The study findings indicated that community participation had a positive and significant relationship with the sustainability of donor-supported projects in South Sudan. The study concluded that the sustainability of donor-funded projects is influenced by community participation. The community needs to participate in the project from the initiation to the end to ensure sustainability. A community should also engage in decisions to enhance ownership and sustainability of projects. Policy should be created to advance community project ownership and the community should be encouraged to participate and serve with locally available resources.