[Extract]
It’s the lean season in South Sudan.
And that means for people living in areas like Warawar in Aweil, finding food can become a walk on the wild side. Trees in the bush can be the only food source for people who have consumed last year’s crops and are waiting for the next harvest to be ready.
The months between June and September are particularly tricky for vulnerable mums like Adthel Ayuel, who looks after five children.
Before Tearfund’s help, Adthel was struggling to feed them. Her only source of income was from collecting and selling firewood, and fetching water for a restaurant, but that wasn’t enough to cope with the rising prices of staple foods.
Last year life became harder when her crops failed and Adthel’s harvest was smaller than usual.
‘I became hopeless,’ said Adthel. ‘I was feeding the children one meal a day when the business was good and I could get money to buy food. But sometimes we would go without meals. As the struggles continued, my youngest child became sick. When I went to the hospital, they told me that he would need to be admitted because his condition was bad.’
The problem was malnutrition but Tearfund provided the answer through our food assistance programme, which is supporting 370 vulnerable families in this area. Adthel was given a voucher that she could exchange for food from traders.
‘Now my family and I are able to eat at least two meals a day and we don’t rely on the [bush] trees for our food. My child is also well and does not fall sick all the time like before. My other children are also happy because I can care for them, and they can spend more time with their little brother than before when we were admitted at the feeding centre.
‘The planting season is now with us. I’m happy that with Tearfund’s support I now have the energy to cultivate my garden so that after the next harvest I will have something to depend on.’
Florence Mawanda, Tearfund’s Country Director for South Sudan, said, ‘We know that continued food assistance is critical during the lean season as without it the 370 families that Tearfund has supported may miss the opportunity for cultivation. Children can quickly relapse back into hunger and malnutrition-related illness.’