Hunger, malnutrition, and famine keep coming in South Sudan with an inability to plant or harvest crops.
Five million people are in need of help in South Sudan, according to the UN World Food Programme. People are forced to scavenge for food with not enough food deliveries to supply everyone. With a population of 11.3 million, the poverty level is taking its toll not only in communities but around the country. An estimated 100,000 people have been declared on the verge of starvation.
The country in northeastern Africa gained independence in 2011 from Sudan, but with civil wars, refugee crises, and collapsing economies, it’s disrupting farming for the citizens of the country. This is how most families survive the year, growing crops and then harvesting them come time. With the war and new invaders, there is a constant need to keep moving, making it difficult to raise crops. People’s livestock is also being taken by armed men, leaving only the streams of fish to hunt for food.
The current situation in South Sudan is tearing people up and — with most families living in swamps — the only thing to do is fight or flee. Lots of families have children who have not attended school for at least three years. It is said about a million children under the age of five are malnourished from harsh environments and lack of food supplies.
“People have been pushed to the brink, [they are] surviving on what they can find to eat in swamps,” said Emma Drew, Oxfam’s Humanitarian program manager in South Sudan. As organizations continue to struggle in providing enough food for the growing population of famine, people note on how this was not sudden. For years conditions have been bad, pushing people to unlikely odds with a lack of supplies.
By: Katherine McCormick
The Claw 