South Sudan

At Action Against Hunger, we help people who face extreme hardships every day to survive. Many lack access to basic necessities like food and water; others are struggling to rebuild after a disaster. On top of these difficulties, some people we serve also have physical limitations that make their situations even more challenging. But our work with these extraordinary people proves that disability does not mean inability, and that everyone can contribute in their own way to community development.

Imagine waking up one day to find that you had no national identity. No flag, no national anthem. No public services or public works. No justice system, no infrastructure. It'd be a bad dream, right? Well, that nightmare was actually reality a year and a half ago for what is now the population of South Sudan, the world's newest nation. From the ashes of conflict with its neighbor to the north, South Sudan began the arduous process of literally molding a brand new country.

October 15, 2012 is the fifth anniversary of Global Handwashing Day, which is a particularly special year because it marks a major goal in a child’s life- reaching their fifth birthday.  The importance of washing hands with soap cannot be overstated; research has shown that it is among the most effective and inexpensive ways to prevent diarrhea and pneumonia which cause more than 3.5 million child deaths every year.

Some things never change, even for the newest country in the world: South Sudan has been hit by another round of flooding. The period from August to October is known as the “flood season,” and each year thousands of people are displaced, and property and crops are destroyed.

This year has seen the worst floods in five years, but the good news is that in some areas, humanitarian actors and communities were prepared and a humanitarian emergency was minimized.