To try and earn money for food, Rony has been desperately seeking casual jobs as a painter’s assistant on construction sites. And his wife Sumi has been forced to work long hours in a garment factory, just to try and put food on the table each night.

When Bishal was attacked by a stray dog outside their home, the family had no money to take him to the hospital. So they had to borrow from neighbours, adding to their mounting debt.

Bishal’s family was recently selected to receive monthly cash grants from World Vision to help them cope with the devastating impact of the pandemic. This has helped them provide nutritious food for Bishal and ensure ongoing treatment for his injuries.

“If I did not get that money at the right time, I don’t know what I would have done,” says Sumi. “It gave me my son’s life back.”

He was severely malnourished and unwell,” he said.

“When Beto was sick, he didn’t laugh, and he didn’t play. He even stopped taking my breast milk,” said mum Ndahambelela. Sadly, 5.6 percent of children living in Angola are acutely malnourished due in part to Angola’s worse drought in 38 years. However, thousands of children are now being treated with ready-to-use therapeutic food (MANA) donated by Food for Famine and administered by World Vision.

“The drought has had a devastating impact on children here,” said Isaias Ricardo, World Vision Angola’s Nutrition Supervisor. “This therapeutic food has made, and continues to make a huge difference. MANA saves lives.” And it saved baby Beto’s life.

Life for the vulnerable is harsh. Children lack access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene and many are exposed to abuse such as child labour and neglect. Sadly, as families see their income drop, more children will be forced to work. Children like 12-year-old Marie*.

Marie found herself with limited choices, already vulnerable to hunger, early marriage and child labour, she could no longer attend school or play freely with her friends because of the pandemic. Like many families, Marie’s parents resorted to sending their daughter out to work at the local community market to help feed her hungry family, as they simply didn’t have enough to eat.  

"The money I earn from selling these chikwangues (traditional bread) is used to buy food for the family and to pay our rent … My need is to be supported in ways that help us meet our food needs, so that I no longer sell chikwangues," shared Marie.  

*Name changed to protect identity.

"We have empowered and supported refugees to establish kitchen gardens which allows them to grow vegetables in small gardens in their backyard, to supplement the food ration that UN WFP gives them through World Vision,” says Comfort, a World Vision Deputy Food Assistance Manager.

For the refugees of South Sudan preparing a day’s meal is not an easy task. Due to the quality and scarcity of firewood preparing meals can take hours. And for mother’s like Charity it means starting the day at 6.30am to begin the four-hour prep to make breakfast.

Food is so much more than a meal for many families in the settlements. Food distribution points become social events as friends catch up and families and neighbours connect over a meal. Sadly, this dynamic is changing. Due to the onset of the pandemic, food rations reduced by 30 percent in April of 2020 and the UN WFP warns of a worsening situation as the funding situation continues to deteriorate. Thankfully, the home-grown vegetable gardens provide a sustainable source of nutrients, for now.