For Janet Tiko, every day brings the possibility of tragedy. Her nine-month-old son, Simon, suffers from malnutrition. She brought him to be treated at the Al-Sabbah children’s hospital in Juba, but Janet doesn’t know if it’s already too late.
More than one million people in South Sudan are now on the brink of famine. A United Nations declaration in February 2017 made the famine official, but the situation continues to deteriorate. There are 4.9 million people in urgent need of food and it’s estimated that more than one million South Sudanese children will suffer from acute malnutrition this year.
Unfortunately, since I last visited South Sudan in 2014, the situation for children has only grown worse. Ongoing conflict, a collapsing economy and depleted stocks from the last harvest have destroyed families’ livelihoods. As people flee violence, they’re left to survive on whatever food they can find – of which there isn’t much. Children have little choice but to drink unsafe water, leading to an increase in illnesses, especially diarrhoea, which can be deadly. Immediate threats to safety and health are compounded by long-term threats to the future of a generation.
The scale of today’s crisis is staggering, but South Sudan isn’t alone. The world is now facing the very real possibility of four famines, with food crises also threatening the lives of children and families in Nigeria, Somalia and Yemen. Across the four countries, nearly 1.4 million children are at imminent risk of death from severe acute malnutrition, and 22 million children are hungry, sick or out of school.
The good news is that child deaths due to famine and malnutrition are preventable if the right action is taken early.
In South Sudan, UNICEF and partners have conducted massive relief operations since the conflict began, and have intensified efforts to mitigate the worst effects of the humanitarian crisis.
Since the famine was declared, with the World Food Programme, we have been conducting joint emergency missions, delivering life-saving supplies and services to the affected areas in Unity State. Together, we have reached almost 200,000 people – including nearly 50,000 children – with food aid, nutrition screening and support and basic health care. This is just one aspect of our large-scale regional response.
UNICEF is working around the clock to reach vulnerable children and families in the most remote locations. In South Sudan this year, we aim to treat more than 200,000 severely malnourished children and provide therapeutic feeding programs at 620 outpatient and 50 inpatient sites. We’re also working with the warring parties to prevent recruitment of children into armed groups and reunite children separated by the conflict with their families.
Across the four affected countries, UNICEF has more than 750 staff working to bring life-saving aid to the most vulnerable, and that includes more than food. UNICEF is working to provide 7.4 million children with safe water, 3.4 million with measles vaccinations and 2.1 million with education.
But despite our best efforts, the scale of the crisis is far outpacing the humanitarian response. Unless more action is taken, the situation is likely to continue to deteriorate.
UNICEF has requested $255 million to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of children in South Sudan, as well as Nigeria, Somalia and Yemen, in 2017. Last month, Canada announced $119.25 million to help scale up the response to the famine crisis, including $9.6 million for UNICEF’s work in South Sudan.
No child should die of hunger. The continued support of Canadians will make a difference in providing life-saving assistance to these children before it’s too late.
David Morley is President and CEO of UNICEF Canada.