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“I had never seen anything like this” – Oxfam staffer in South Sudan

A civil war broke out in the African nation of South Sudan at the end of 2013, and since then, almost one third of people have been forced to flee their homes. The brutal and ongoing violence has caused wide-spread hunger. Millions are without access to food, and 100,000 are in a state of famine.

Corrie Sissons, from England, is Oxfam’s Food Security Coordinator based in South Sudan.

She explains, in a Gloucestershire Live article, why money for humanitarian aid is so desperately needed.

“Having worked on quite a few humanitarian emergencies you try to prepare yourself, but I had never seen anything like this. I visited a makeshift camp in Bojani, a remote village on the edge of the famine zone, which is surrounded by swampland and the closest people could get to safety in an area plagued by fighting. The tragedy of the conflict in South Sudan is that it is man-made. Many vulnerable people, who are out of reach of life-saving assistance due to the conflict, are paying the ultimate price.

People in South Sudan have visibly been pushed to the brink, surviving on what they can find to eat in the swamps. As is so often in a crisis, women and children are the worst affected. Many had seen their homes destroyed and crops burnt by fighters, before enduring days of wading through inhospitable swamps in a desperate attempt to find food for their children.

My team and I saw a trickle of people arriving throughout the day, emerging from the swamp with their clothes in tatters, filthy and without their shoes, dragging whatever possessions they could carry in balls of tarpaulin. With nothing to eat or drink on their journey but swamp water, people were sick and exhausted and looking traumatised.

Most of the children we saw looked severely malnourished and had no energy or spark, none of the usual cheeky smiles and laughter you get from small children, even in the most extreme situations. Some elderly people had made it to the camp but were so weak they were lying down and not able to move or even speak.

There was literally nothing to eat. No-one knew where the closest place was to buy food or essential items. No-one felt safe trying to find a market or someone selling food. I looked into people’s makeshift shelters and there were no food supplies at all. We had brought some beans and cooking oil from Juba (South Sudan’s capital), and salt, whatever we could get on the plane we had chartered.

All that the women had to prepare were water lily roots. Even though these plants which have limited nutritional value, were giving some of the children diarrhoea – because their stomachs couldn’t digest them – there was a sense that it gave the women a way of coping with the crisis, a sense of community. The women were preparing the lily roots together; collecting the bulbs, peeling and grinding them so that they and their children had something to physically eat.

I hadn’t expected it to be so quiet. None of the children or babies seemed to be crying. Some of the mothers with small babies told me they were no longer able to breast-feed. I found it really difficult knowing that at the end of the day I would get a meal, that the life I lead means I will probably never have to experience not knowing where my next meal would come from. And I felt embarrassed that we live in world where many have plenty, whilst others are pushed to the extremes of existence and eating wild plants just to survive. I worried about the people who were too weak to leave their villages or those stranded in areas too remote or too dangerous for aid agencies to reach. The situation is far worse in areas north of where we were, but with limited access Oxfam and other the humanitarian agencies remain in fear famine could spread – and fast.

As an emergency, life-saving measure Oxfam has been using small aircraft to fly in food packages to tide people over until the next UN World Food Programme airdrop, as more and more people arrive in the area. We are using canoes to send food to people in more remote areas. We’re also looking at how we can work with traders in markets to provide the most vulnerable with cash or vouchers and support the local economy too.

If we want to stop the famine spreading further, we need to act fast and be able to access even more resources. There is no time to waste.”

With your help, we can reach more people and save more lives.

World faces unprecedented famine threat, G7 must take action

Group of Seven leaders meeting in Taormina, Sicily, this week should take the lead in fighting famine and immediately fund nearly half ($2.9 billion) of the UN’s urgent appeal to avoid catastrophic hunger and more deaths, urged Oxfam today. Without an immediate and sweeping response, this crisis will spiral out of control.

Further delay will cost more lives.

Deadly famine is already affecting 100,000 people in parts of South Sudan and threatens to extend to Yemen, Somalia and northeast Nigeria. Widespread famine across all four countries is not yet inevitable, but G7 leaders need to act now with a massive injection of aid, backed with a forceful diplomatic push to bring an end to the long-standing conflicts that are driving this hunger crisis.

Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of Oxfam International, said: “Political failure has led to these crises – political leadership is needed to resolve them. G7 leaders cannot walk away from Taormina without providing emergency funding and clear solutions to tackle the root causes: the world’s most powerful leaders must now act to prevent a catastrophe happening on their watch.

“Our world of plenty today faces an unprecedented four famines. If G7 leaders were to travel to any of these four countries, they would see for themselves how life is becoming impossible for so many people: many are already dying in pain, from disease and extreme hunger.”

If each G7 government contributed its fair share to the UN’s appeal for $6.3 billion for all four countries, Oxfam estimates that this would raise almost half of the total required. These UN appeals are still only 30 percent funded across the four countries.

No G7 country has provided its fair share of funding for all four countries.

G7 commitments to food security and nutrition
In 2015, the G7 committed to lift 500 million people out of hunger and malnutrition, yet 30 million people across the four countries are now experiencing severe hunger – 10 million of whom are facing emergency and famine conditions. The number of people experiencing acute food insecurity is estimated to have risen by about 40 percent over the last two years. G7 leaders should uphold the commitments they have made on hunger and malnutrition and give more importance to crisis prevention and supporting smallholder farmers’ resilience in order to reduce needs over time.

Conflict and famine
In addition to funding the UN appeal, G7 leaders should press for immediate ceasefires and inclusive peace processes, as well as for safe access to places where aid agencies are having trouble reaching people in need. Conflict has driven millions of people from their homes and communities, cutting them off from their fields, jobs, food, and markets.

In Yemen, countries including G7 members continue to supply weapons, munitions, military equipment, technology, or logistical and financial support for military action that is in contravention of the rules of war. In South Sudan, three years of conflict have displaced more than 3.5 million people – including 2 million children. Somalia also remains an active conflict where access is limited by Al Shabaab, as well as other parties involved in the conflict. Nigeria’s conflict has spread into neighboring Niger, Chad and Cameroon forcing 2.6 million people to flee and leaving nearly 11 million people in need of emergency aid.

Famine and hunger are the glaring symptoms of larger challenges that include climate, migration and inequality which must all be tackled together if progress is to be made.

Climate
Climate change is not a distant future threat: it is helping fuel a humanitarian disaster in Somalia and other countries in the Horn of Africa.  There could be no stronger call to G7 leaders to take action on climate change than suffering on this scale. The G7 members must make it clear that they are committed to implementing the Paris Agreement. It is vital that the summit produces a clear and strong outcome on climate change action – no excuses.

Migration
When G7 leaders have chosen a symbolic place to meet in Sicily – Europe’s coast, where thousands of people have died trying to reach safety and security – it is reprehensible that they are set to overlook the suffering of refugees and migrants on their doorstep, and ignore the challenge of migration and forced displacement. Rich countries should lean into this challenge, exercise positive global leadership and compassion, and agree to concrete steps that protect the dignity and rights of people on the move.

Inequality
When one in 10 people go to bed hungry every night, famine represents one extreme end of the inequality spectrum and is in itself the result of the instability which inequality helps to drive. Oxfam is calling on G7 leaders to commit to the developing a fully fledged action plan to tackle growing inequality, in line with their commitment to the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals.

Notes to editors

1. Download Oxfam’s latest policy report on what governments need to do to avert the threat of global famine: https://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/bn-four-famines-190517-en.pdf

2. Oxfam will be attending at the G7 summit with spokespeople for interview on the ‘four famines’, inequality, climate and migration in English, Italian, French, Spanish, German, Chichewa/Nyanja and Tumbuka.

3. Oxfam will be presenting a number of stunts over the period of the summit on the themes of the 4 famines, climate and migration. The first will take place on the morning of Thursday 25 May and will be on the subject of the four famines, taking place near the International Media Centre in Giardini Naxos. Contact us for further details.

4. Oxfam can offer journalists the opportunity to visit some of our programs supporting migrants in Sicily. Contact us for further details.

5. The UN ‘four famines’ appeal was originally launched for a total of $5.6 billion  http://interactive.unocha.org/emergency/2017_famine/index.php  and was later revised up to $6.3 billion after the Somalia response plan was updated in earlier this month http://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/somalia-humanitarian-response-plan-may-2017-revision

6. There has been a rise of 40 percent in the number of people experiencing acute food insecurity over the last two years according to FEWSNET: http://www.fews.net/global/alert/january-25-2017

7. Oxfam’s fair share analysis: Oxfam calculates its fair share analysis by comparing data from the UN’s Financial Tracking System (FTS) and information received from G7 members with their national income. No G7 country has provided its fair share of funding for all four nations facing famine. (The FTS website may not have been updated with recent pledges.)

According to UN figures, as of May 18, only 30 percent of the $6.3 billion needed has been received. Country by country, this means that Nigeria is only 21 percent funded; Somalia, 33 percent; South Sudan, 42 percent; and Yemen, 21 percent.

G7 leaders must commit to fund their fair share for each country, while pressing other donors to do their part, in order to prevent more people from dying of hunger. These contributions alone would mean $492 million for Nigeria, $703 million for Somalia, $764 million for South Sudan, and $964 million for Yemen.

G7 must also commit to increase aid for longer term solutions that build resilience and improve food security and nutrition, in order to prevent further crises from escalating into disasters.

Only one G7 leader (UK) has provided its fair share for Yemen, two (UK and Canada) for South Sudan, two (UK and Germany) for Somalia and two (Canada and Germany) for Nigeria.

The United States Congress commitment of $990m to address famine in the four countries is welcomed, but this must be urgently translated into aid on the ground if the impact of famines is to be reduced.

View or download Oxfam’s fair share analysis here: http://oxf.am/ZERG.

8. About 30 million people are are experiencing alarming levels of hunger in Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen – 10 million of them are facing emergency and famine conditions. (10 million people are at IPC4 and 5, and a further 20 million people are at IPC3.)

• South Sudan: 4.9 million people dangerously hungry (IPC Phases 3-5, including 100,000 already in famine)
• Yemen: 17 million people dangerously hungry (IPC Phases 3-4)
• Somalia: 3.2 million people dangerously hungry in Somalia (IPC Phases 3-4)
• Nigeria: 4.7 million people dangerously hungry in northeast Nigeria (IPC Phases 3-5)

9. Climate change is helping to fuel a humanitarian disaster in East Africa where 13 million people are dangerously hungry and Somalia is on the brink of famine: https://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/mb-climate-crisis-east-africa-drought-270417-en.pdf

10. Oxfam is responding directly and with local organizations across the affected countries delivering food and other essential aid including cash so that people can buy from local markets. It is striving to ensure people have clean water to be used for drinking, cooking, washing and sanitation and to fight waterborne diseases such as diarrhea and cholera. We are also helping vulnerable communities, focusing especially on women, to stay safe and access aid in these unstable circumstances.

Tweet series: Syrians in Lebanon

Lebanon has taken in a huge number of Syrian refugees since the Syria Crisis began. Over one million are officially registered with the Lebanese government, according to the UN. They have the largest refugee population per capita in the world.

In 2011, just as the Syrian civil war was beginning, Lebanon had a population of 4.59 million. Now in 2017, after the influx of many refugees, the country’s population stands at 6.03 million.

Dr. Nasser Yassin, Director of Research at the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, has researched the positive effects that Syrian refugees are having on the Lebanese economy. Through his research he wants to promote that refugees are assets – not burdens.

“The narrative constructed around the issue of Syrian refugees in Lebanon and elsewhere is mostly negative and portrays refugees as a burden on societies. You’ll often hear people say things like ‘they’re taking all our jobs, or they’re using up all our resources,’ but these statements are often generalisations and are rarely based on facts,” Yassin said to Stepfeed.

“A refugee only becomes a burden when they are left without education and without an opportunity to contribute to their host countries.”

Syrians are unable to return to their homes, although many of them want to, as the country is still unsafe. International law requires that the return of refugees to be voluntary, to happen in dignity, and to be to a safe place where the reasons for them fleeing in the first place have fundamentally changed – and these conditions are absent in Syria. Any return enforced before the conflict has ended, peace is sustainable and the country is stable, would violate refugees’ rights to a safe, dignified and voluntary return.

Yassin has launched a Twitter series to counter the narrative that refugees are hindering host countries.

Through interviews, Yassin discovered that the majority of Syrian refugees do wish to return to Syria once it is safe to do so. Oxfam advocates at all levels for countries to uphold the right of refugees to voluntary return in safety and dignity.

Violence has forced many Syrians from their homes, leaving them completely reliant on aid.

Because of your support, Oxfam is there. But this crisis is far from over – help us reach more people in need:

Donate to our Syria Crisis appeal

Oxfam’s seven food-delivery steps

Conflict has plunged South Sudan into a man-made famine and millions of people across the country are starving. In South Sudan we have been supporting over 400,000 people, ensuing they have safe access to food. We’re providing them with cash or vouchers so they can buy from local markets, and we’re distributing food with the World Health Programme (WHP).

In March, our Emergency Food Security and Vulnerable Livelihoods team (EFSVL) learned that new families were arriving in the town of Nyal exhausted and severely malnourished. People had fled their homes to escape the fighting, had their food looted and crops destroyed. This meant that people hadn’t eaten for days.

Many walked for two to five days to get to Nyal, with much of their journey through the vast Sudd swamp. When they arrived, children were subdued and people were so weak they could only lie on the floor.

The next food delivery was several days away, so our team had to act fast. The desperate situation meant that an exceptional decision was taken to charter a plane and fly in a supply of beans and oil from Oxfam’s Juba warehouse, and compliment it with salt purchased locally from markets.

These photos, taken by Oxfam staffers Corrie Sissons and Lauren Hartnett, show the seven steps Oxfam took to ensure food was efficiently and effectively delivered to those who desperately need it.

1. Local survey.

Before food is distributed in an area, Oxfam staffers survey local traders to see if items can be bought locally. The survey showed that salt was available, so this was purchased in Nyal.

2. Flying in supplies.

When the plane landed at the airstrip, Oxfam staffers unloaded the sacks of beans and cans of oil—enough for about 1,800 people, most of whom are women and children.

3. Transporting the food.

Staffers load food into vehicles so they can deliver it to the sites where people will gather for the distributions – a four hour round trip.

4. Taking fingerprints.

An Oxfam staffer records the fingerprints of people who will be receiving food during the distribution. The fingerprints are in lieu of signatures and serve as verification that people got their share of beans, oil and salt.

5. Distribution.

Oxfam staffers portion out cooking oil to distribute to families who had registered for food.

6. Stoking the fire.

As soon as they received their food, people stoked up their fires and got to work preparing a meal of beans.

7. Eating!

The dispalced families in Nyal now have some desperately needed food, which not only fills tummies, but lifts spirits. It even allows child’s play to return to what it what it might have been during a more peaceful time. “Playing kitchen,” these children have their own small pot of beans to cook over their own little fire.

Now that the families are in Nyal, the World Food Programme will register them to receive monthly food support.

People are continually arriving in Nyal, weak and hungry. We need to get as much food and aid to them as possible – and fast. You can help:

Donate here

What does Mother’s Day look like in South Sudan?

Women arriving after walking through the swamp for hours. Photo: Pedro Mariel/Oxfam

Swamp is all that many South Sudanese mothers can see for miles. They journey through it, by foot or canoe, pursuing food. Medicine. Aid. The bare minimum to keep their children going during this time of hunger and conflict.

Years of conflict in South Sudan has resulted in famine. Over five million people – 40 per cent of the population – are in desperate need of food assistance.

Usually, only women and their children make this journey. Leave their homes in pursuit of survival. The husbands stay back, hoping to protect their homes from becoming a casualty of conflict.

Fuelled by ground water lily bulbs and the occasional swamp-dwelling fish, mothers make these trips motivated by the thought of being able to provide for their children and keep them safe.

Dylan Quinnell, a Kiwi who works for Oxfam Australia, was recently in South Sudan. He heard some of the stories of these courageous mothers first-hand, and told them to Radio New Zealand (link):

“They told us of how they had to get their children, get their belongings, hide in the bush for two days with no food as the fighting was all around them. As soon as it was safe enough they put the children and what few goods they had onto tarpaulins and actually dragged them through the swamps for as many as nine days.

”One of the mothers we met was eight-and-a-half months pregnant at the time and she actually gave birth to her daughter in the swamp. She’s given her a name in South Sudanese that means ‘born in a crisis’.”

Photo: Bruno Bierrenbach-Feder/Oxfam

Fleeing recent attacks, Nyandiew (right) and Nyachak (far left) ferried their children to safety via canoe. They had to leave their husbands behind and now they cannot go home. If they go to the mainland, they worry they won’t be able to receive food from the World Health Programme.

Photo: Bruno Bierrenbach-Feder/Oxfam

Tabitha is resting with her daughter, who is sucking on “tuok’’ (a dry seed from a palm tree).

“I was here before as an IDP [internally displaced person] and returned home in late 2016,” she says. “It is so unfortunate that the conflict resurfaced again. I do not think I will go back again until I am sure all is well again. Most of our animals died on the way. We feed on water lilies, fish, and anything we could find in the river. What we currently need is food, medication and NFIs [non-food items] shall be of great assistance to us. The more time it takes the worse it shall be for us.”

Some of the names in this story have been changed to protect the individuals.

The people of South Sudan are doing all they can to help themselves. We need to get more food, clean water, and other vital support to the most vulnerable people.