Telling the ECSA Story

Dried maize plants at Anna Chitiyo's farm in Mutare Rural District, Zimbabwe/ CARE Zimbabwe CARE, Nairobi, Kenya, – 22 April 2024: Southern Africa is on the brink of a devastating hunger crisis as a relentless drought tightens its grip. El Niño has led to searing heat that led to massive crop failure causing water sources to dry up. As a result, millions of people in Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Zambia have been driven towards starvation. To highlight this crisis, CARE alongside the Human Science Research Council, FANRPAN, and Rural Women’s Assembly held a press conference on 22 nd April 2024 to call for international donor support to combat the worsening crisis.   "The situation is dire and demands urgent and coordinated action to avert a catastrophe," emphasized Matthew Pickard, CARE Southern Africa Regional Director. "We are particularly concerned by the impact of this emergency on women and girls who form the backbone of local communities. who have had their farms sco

Nyajime seated outside her home in Wechjokni. CARE International South Sudan by Kenyi Evans, Senior Communications Officer, CARE South Sudan Nyajime Majiok is a 35-year-old  woman who recently returned to her village of origin in Wechjokni Boma, Bilkey Payam in Akobo County. She had fled her home during the civil war in 2013. Upon her return in July 2023, she was faced with several challenges including food shortage, lack of water and sanitation facilities, and a general inability to access basic goods and services. Access to clean water was a pressing need as the borehole in her village had broken down two years ago. Exacerbating Nyajime’s plight was the tumultuous relationship with her husband. The marriage was fraught with domestic issues  and constant clashes including disagreements over household roles.  She was desperate to find solutions to bring peace and understanding to her marriage. At the same time, the Afia WASH project funded by USAID in Western Bahr el Ghazal, Jonglei an