South Sudan is no stranger to instability and more than a decade after gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, chronic food insecurity continues to engulf the world’s newest nation. Poverty is exacerbated by ongoing displacement, extreme weather, inflation, and conflict and when neighbouring Sudan descended into war earlier this year, the fighting precipitated a staggering humanitarian crisis*. The war has displaced more than 5.2 million people** with more than a million flooding into neighbouring countries in East Africa. Conflict has driven widespread displacement in the region for over a decade but rarely have so many lives hung in the balance in what has become the largest refugee crisis in Africa***. The vast majority – over 83% – of those fleeing are women and children. Often, they are survivors of violent attacks and sexual assault, and many are children who have been separated from their families. The needs of displaced people are many, but hunger is a core issue that threatens any opportunity for development. 

A staggering 76% of the population of South Sudan (more than 9.4 million people) are estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance****. The arrival of displaced individuals exerts immense pressure on countries and communities, necessitating support not only for the displaced but also for their hosts. Migration happens for myriad reasons. Displacement, however, results from violence, human rights abuses, or natural disasters – extreme events that force people to flee their homes. It’s estimated that there are 2.3 million internally displaced people in South Sudan and more than half of all South Sudanese refugees are children*****. This is a generation whose access to education hangs in the balance, threatened by conflict, displacement and resulting child hunger.