In South Sudan, the world's newest nation, a food crisis has been caused by internal conflict and a depleted harvest.
5.5 million people are severely food insecure – a number that continues to grow.
South Sudan became an independent country on 9 July 2011, after its population voted in a January referendum to separate from its northern neighbour, Sudan.
Violence broke out in December 2013 between the government and opposition forces. Fighting has continued sporadically since then, despite multiple peace agreements, and millions of people have been forced to flee their homes.
Another outbreak of violence in July 2016, including in the capital Juba, led to the displacement of a further 60,000 people. To date, 3.6 million South Sudanese have fled their homes, and 895,000 of those are now in refugee settlements in neighbouring Uganda. That number is increasing by 2,800 people per day, and 58 percent of those refugees are children.
A total of 7.5 million people – 60 percent of the country’s population – need humanitarian aid.
In conflict areas, food assistance has become people's main source of food. But it isn't enough to meet all their needs, and acute malnutrition is now a major public health emergency. Almost 1 million children are estimated to be acutely malnourished and 270,000 children are suffering from severe malnutrition.
World Vision's response in East Africa
We are responding now but urgently need support to scale up humanitarian assistance in the region. We must ensure children and their families are protected from a looming catastrophe before the window of opportunity to help closes.
Our emergency response aims to provide humanitarian assistance to 2.7 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Uganda over 12 months.
We are aiming to meet the health, nutrition, child protection, livelihoods, shelter, education and water and sanitation needs of the most vulnerable children and their families across all these countries. Our ultimate goal is to help children survive, thrive and return to school.