Grains of Hope
There is hope for the future because of donors like you
“They have saved my life. I had no food in my household and we were starving...we could barely have a meal a day. We had even forgotten the normal practice of two meals a day, but these food rations have restored my hope,” says Bol Ngor Dumo, 34.
Bol’s story is only one of hundreds of thousands of identical stories in Aweil, and in South Sudan at large.
Ever since the country slipped into a political crisis, barely a few years after independence, life has not been easy for the civil population. Over the years, living standards and the worth of currency have continued to deteriorate.
Apart from the civil war, extreme weather conditions like droughts, that are often followed by flash floods, have made matters worse, especially for farmers. As much of the population relies on subsistent farming to feed their families, South Sudan faces a critical hunger crisis.
According to an overview of humanitarian needs in January 2021, it was estimated that more than 600,000 people in Aweil counties are starving. Thanks to donors like you, Tearfund was able to help, offering food security, livelihood and resilience programs to the community.
Families were suffering. Unable to feed their children, their lives were at risk. Some say they were about to flee Sudan due to hunger…
But, there is hope.
Your generosity has allowed Tearfund, with support from the Canadian Foodgrain Bank (CFGB), to intervene in the most vulnerable areas of famine with live-saving emergency food assistance. Together, we were able to reach 1,960 households in Aweil who were on the brink of starvation.
The food package included rations of sorghum, beans, vegetable oil and salt. An intentional list designed to fill malnourished stomachs.
Bol says he didn’t believe it when the Tearfund Staff told them the quantity of food each household was entitled to. They have never received such amounts of food ever before from any agency.
“Now I eat twice a day and I am regaining my body weight back. I had hoped that my farm yields would be ready for consumption by now to sustain me, but then came the floods that destroyed our farms. I had lost all hope, but Tearfund has saved me from starvation,” Bol continued.
Nyibol Deng Dut, a 54-year-old widow, and another recipient of the emergency food, says “Tearfund has saved so many people from starvation. Young couples with young families as well.”
She added, “Tearfund has not only saved lives, but has also re-awakened people’s hope.” As the community regains their strength from the food assistance, they have the energy to press on, and produce food for the future.
The food recipients are not the only ones whose suffering has been alleviated but through extension, other members of the community who have been sharing with the recipients as well.
You have helped more than 15,175 beneficiaries. Life continues, and there is hope for the future, because of donors like you.
