Telling the ECSA Story

Angelina Nyabany in her backyard garden in Mayom County, Unity State. CARE South Sudan/Kenyi Evans In Mayom County, South Sudan, conflict, flooding, and economic instability have pushed thousands into the grip of severe food insecurity and malnutrition. Families face a relentless struggle to survive. According to reports, South Sudan's Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) levels remain alarmingly high, with 46 out of 80 counties, including Mayom County, exceeding the WHO emergency threshold of 15%. Women and girls face heightened vulnerability across all aspects of food security, including availability, access, utilization, and stability. Women like 50-year-old Angelina Nyabany Wadar, a mother of three, faced impossible choices: skipping meals to feed her children, scavenging for wild foods, and watching helplessly as malnutrition threatened the lives of her little ones. Angelina was displaced by flooding that submerged her home and crops in Loath. Angelina's life took a dramatic tu...

John Akech narrated to the FEED II team his story in Bor, Jonglei State. CARE International South Sudan When it comes to gender equality in communities , many believe that progress is slow and difficult to achieve. However, one man's story from Kolnyang County, Jonglei state, South Sudan , proves that change is possible . Meet John Akech, 25 years old, a farmer and a father of three, who has changed his views on women's leadership through his participation in the Social Analysis and Action (SAA) program under the Fortifying Equality and Economic Diversification II p ro ject CARE International offers through the G lobal A ffairs C anada financial support. SAA is a facilitated process through which individuals and communities explore and challenge the social norms, beliefs, and practices that shape their lives and are at the root of the development problems that CARE seeks to address.   As a member of the Mading Gal F ield F armers B usiness S chool /Beekeeping produce...

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 Ghaz...

  Anite SPO -CARE posting a photo with CVO's ED Jane Amal While access to quality education for all is a basic human right, in South Sudan many children of school-going age are out of school. South Sudan has one of the lowest literacy rates [1] in the World, with the highest drop-out rates. An estimated 2.8 million [2] children are out of school and the highest proportion of out-of-school children are girls. Poverty, Child marriage, and cultural norms are some of the factors that hinder access to education. It’s estimated that half of South Sudanese girls get married before the age of 18. 17-year-old Sandra*, a mother of one is a testament to the impact of early marriage due to the lack of education opportunities in her community. “Having a school keeps girls busy and protects girls. The lack of school makes girls to get married early like me.” Says Sandra Sandra is a resident of Ofiriha, located between Magwi County and Torit west County of Eastern Equator...

Dr Mike, Rebecca and her Son during a routine Checkup at Pariang Hospital. South Sudan has one of the weakest health systems globally, especially in terms of access to sexual and reproductive health services. Maternal and neonatal health services remain a challenge for many women, with around 70% of the population living at least five kilometers from health facilities. The country has the highest maternal mortality rates of 789 per 100,000 live births, and neonatal and under-five mortality rates of 39.3 and 99.2, per 1000 live births respectively . When 37-year-old Rebecca Nyayuol arrived at Pariang hospital in February 2021 she was filled with anxiety. She was three months pregnant, and although she looked healthy, Rebecca had already gone through the traumatic experience of miscarriage not once, but five times. “ Before coming to Pariang Hospital, I had lost five pregnancies at five months. During my fifth pregnancy, I used to feel pain in the back before losing the baby. I fel...