Source: World Food Programme
Country: South Sudan
In Numbers
1.69 million internally displaced people (OCHA estimates)
721,327 South Sudanese refugees (UNHCR estimates)
169,983 people seeking shelter with the UN (UNMISS estimates)
2.8 million people in emergency or crisis level food insecurity (IPC, January to March 2016)
Highlights
- Food distributions ongoing to support households through the lean season in states most affected by
deepening food insecurity.
- WFP holds annual partnership meeting to discuss achievements, challenges and the wary forward for emergency food assistance programmes.
WFP’s Activities
- The scale up of assistance in response to widespread and deepening food insecurity in the most affected areas of the country is ongoing. In Eastern Equatoria, relief distributions are beginning for the first phase of 220,000 people targeted in Kapoeta North, Lopa Lafon and Ikotos counties. In Northern Bahr el Ghazal, over 100,000 of a targeted 200,000 caseload have already received relief assistance in Aweil Central, South, North and West.
Field reports indicate high levels of ration sharing indicating widespread need for further assistance. Alongside food assistance programmes, WFP is also providing cash based transfers (CBTs) to 75,000 people in Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Warrap states to enable them to purchase their own foods in local markets.
- On 1 June, WFP held its annual workshop with cooperating partners who are implementing food assistance activities in conflict affected states within the framework of the Emergency Operation (EMOP). More than 60 participants joined from 30 different partner agencies. The workshop provided an opportunity to discuss challenges faced in the field during programme implementation, as well as opportunities moving forward, in the ever changing context of responding to the crisis in South Sudan. The discussion ranged from the strategic direction of the response to more practical day-to-day challenges.
- WFP is launching its Peace building Project to support about 4,900 women and children who have been disproportionality affected by hunger and conflict. Through WFP’s Food Assistance for Assets programme (FFA) and peace building education, done in collaboration with UNICEF and the Ministry of Education and Instruction. women will be engaged in group vegetable gardens or other livelihood activities linked to markets to strengthen their access to food, assets and livelihoods. Children will benefit from UNICEF’s Learning for Peace initiative, which seeks to foster and promote values of peace, inclusion, equality and the elimination of stereotypes among the children attending classes and activities, and will receive food assistance through WFP’s food for training programme.