Adhieu Deng Ngewei and other women work together on April 12, 2017, in a community vegetable garden in Dong Boma, a Dinka village in South Sudan’s Jonglei State. Most of the women’s families recently returned home after being displaced by rebel soldiers in December, 2013, and they face serious challenges in rebuilding their village while simultaneously coping with a drought which has devastated their cattle herds. Photo by ACT Paul Jeffrey.
Following years of war coupled with extreme drought, South Sudan is experiencing major disruptions in food production and supply resulting in extreme food shortages and malnutrition. According to USAID “An estimated 5.5 million people—nearly half of South Sudan’s population—will face life threatening hunger by July [2017].”
In emergency disaster situations such as famine, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) partners with ACT Alliance to help address immediate needs. In South Sudan, PDA is also working with Presbyterian Relief and Development Agency (PRDA) to distribute emergency relief items and food.
And the Presbyterian Hunger Program (PHP) works to build the capacity of communities to develop systems that ensure food security and work to prevent food shortages from happening. PHP is collaborating with partners to promote agricultural techniques for sustainable food, nutrition and income security in South Sudan.
Resources on Famine in South Sudan:
- Find background information on the famine in South Sudan on the PC(USA) Office of Public Witness website, and in a recent Presbyterian News Service article.
- Download this South Sudan handout from PDA to share in your congregation and in electronic communications.
- Make a donation to PDA’s ongoing disaster relief in South Sudan.
- Support long-term sustainable development in South Sudan by sending donations to PHP for sustainable food and farm system development.