South Sudan IDPs plead humanitarian aid amid looming famine
November 9, 2015 (JUBA)- South Sudanese internally displaced persons who are facing the ongoing conflict and living in the worst conditions are pleading humanitarian assistances amid looming hunger in the country.
“We have been suffering and suffering”, said Mary Nyadak in Juba, a mother of nine children who lost her husband during the raging conflict. And to make matters worse, her home was burnt down during fighting
“This is the first time I am seeing sorghum in four months,” she told a visiting team of the WFP as she clutched a yellow card issued by the largest humanitarian agency in the world.
The card enables her family to receive food assistance in the form of a household cereal staple called sorghum. Given the pangs of hunger she has experienced in the last few months, she can’t afford to lose the card.
WFP has been providing lifesaving food in South Sudan to hundreds of thousands of families who were forced to flee their homes. But as 40% of the population faces life-threatening levels of hunger, it appeals assistances from governments and donor communities to reach more.
“Don’t forget South Sudan: Make an emergency donation now,” the online appeal by the UNWFP notes in part. “Your gift will be immediately put to work to ensure that families who have already lost everything don’t also go hungry. For example, a donation of $75 will provide nutritious food to a family like Rhoda’s for an entire month — making a tremendous impact”, it added.
To promote self-sufficiency and increase local agricultural production the WFP is also constructing 13 road in seven states. The purpose of the 530 kilometres roads is to improve farmers access to local markets.
(ST)