This research piece examines South Sudanese mutual aid against the backdrop of shrinking international funding for humanitarian aid to the country and its communities. As there is only limited documentation of such initiatives in South Sudan, the main objective of this research was to assess the presence of mutual aid in the country. Mutual aid, defined in terms of its common characteristics that include volunteerism, spontaneity, flexibility, the sharing of resources, reciprocity and solidarity, manifests in approaches that are less structured, but demand-driven and community-led. This report reveals a robust, deeply rooted ecosystem of community-led responses, which not only provide the first line of response to crises but also serve as one of the most important elements of the humanitarian crisis response chain, with women and youth playing prominent roles. Examples of these community-led responses are related to (i) flood and environmental crises mitigation, (ii) food security and resource-sharing mechanisms, (iii) peacebuilding, social cohesion and conflict mitigation efforts, (iv) local women- and youth-led resilience community structures, (v) traditional justice, cultural safety nets and indigenous institutions and (vi) community-based emergency rescue and humanitarian support. One key recommendation to come out of this research is for the South Sudan government to adopt national policy that acknowledges and recognises these mutual aid initiatives, as well as providing policy guidance to formal aid actors to forge supportive partnerships with mutual aid groups.