If you haven’t already heard, The United Nations, World Food Program and South Sudanese government have decidedly declared famine in parts of the country’s south.
After the recent independence of South Sudan from Sudan in 2011, a civil war has broken out, a failed peace agreement has gone underway and now an economic collapse in Sudan’s south has left over 100,000 people at risk of starvation, and a furthermore 4.1 – 4.6 million in danger of famine.
The UN’s outcry for 4.4 US billion dollars has created disarray amongst the media and westernized countries, as organizations and nongovernmental businesses rush to aid South Sudan, Nigeria, Yemen and Somalia.
This is not to say that the famine of South Sudan has not been expected, as several spokespersons and non governmental organizations have warned us of the incoming and uncompromisable danger. George Fominyen, the UN food program spokesperson in Juba, South Sudan’s capital said that the shortages of food and accumulating rate of deaths due to malnutrition and the severity of war ‘has not been sudden’. “Food shortages, hunger, malnutrition has been getting steadily worse since the conflict started three years ago.”
In 2016, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released key figures in their last humanitarian needs overview survey that revealed 2.1 million children under the age of 5 in South Sudan are severely malnourished, and at least 4.6 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.
World Food Program spokesperson’s Challiss Mcdonough says that people are already dying. “There’s no catastrophe like this that isn’t really manmade. It’s not a draught, it’s not a tsunami, or an earthquake. It’s not something that we haven’t been warning about now for several years.”
South Sudan’s situation is only worsening. With the help of donations, and continuous demand for governmental recognition of the country’s palpable and destructive state – more help can be granted to those that are in need.
Heres how you can help the people in South Sudan:
By now, everyone has heard of world visions continuous support towards refugees and third world countries in crisis.
“World Vision is a worldwide community development organization that provides short-term and long-term assistance to 100 million people worldwide (including 2.4 million children).”
Committed to assisting the support of children and families, UNICEF is a world renowned organization.
“All children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential – to the benefit of a better world.”
ChildFund Australia’s vision is that all children and families are free from poverty. Their mission involves working in partnership with children and their communities to “create long-lasting and meaningful change by supporting long-term community development and promoting children’s rights.”
- WRITE LETTERS TO YOUR LOCAL COUNCIL/GOVERNMENT
Believe in your voice, and your influence. Local councils have email addresses that are open to the voices of the public.
They also have numerous council meetings within the year to discuss matters that pertain to the community. making time to draw attention to these issues – and within this calling upon the leaders of your city to address these issues also, rouses awareness.
