As El Nino deepens hunger in South Sudan, early action pays off

How WFP and our partners are helping vulnerable communities protect their food security and livelihoods as rivers run dry.

Written by: WFP

Lokitoe Lokale benefits from WFP’s early action food assistance, as an El Niño-linked drought sears parts of South Sudan. Photo: WFP/Gabriela Vivacqua

What remains today of the seasonal Singaita River, in South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria State, is a long stretch of sand cutting through alandscape scorched by relentless heat. Fields that should be green with sorghum and maize lie brown and brittle. Water points are shrinking, forcing women and girls to walk ever longer distances for the precious liquid.

Standing beside the dry riverbed, Lokitoe Lokale looks to the sky each day, searching for rain that has yet to come. For the mother of four, the current drought is measured in the number of daily meals she can prepare for her children.

“There is so much hunger here in Kapoeta North,” she says of the county where she lives. ”The sun is burning like fire and there has been no rain. There is a serious food shortage. There is no sorghum and everything has dried up.”

South Sudan’s extreme weather is deepening hunger in a country where unrest, economic challenges and climate shocks have left 7.8 million people facing acute hunger. Photo: WFP/Gabriela Vivacqua

Across parts of South Sudan drought and soaring temperatures — linked to this year’s powerful El Niño weather phenomenon — has shriveled harvests and deepened hunger in a country where unrest, economic challenges and climate shocks have already left 7.8 million people facing acute food insecurity.

But rather wait for the worst, the World Food Programme (WFP) has joined South Sudan’s Government and other humanitarians in acting preemptively: distributing food support and rolling out the country’s first drought anticipatory action plan, benefitting tens of thousands of vulnerable people, before the worst hit.

“By delivering assistance early, we helped families protect what they had and strengthened their resilience,” says Mutinta Chimuka, WFP Country Director in South Sudan.

Turning forecasts into action

Thousands of people received WFP’s anticipatory cash assistance earlier this year in two of the most drought-hit counties of South Sudan’s Eastern Equatorial State — as part of broader early action initiatives by WFP, the Government and our partners. Photo: WFP/Gabriela Vivacqua

Long before the Singata River dried up, the warning signs were impossible to ignore. Water would typically be flowing through the seasonal river by June, yet this year it had already run dry by May. The April-November rainy season has yet to produce the abundant downpours of previous years, Join The Writer’s Circlethreatening not only harvests but also livestock and water sourcese.

In Kapoeta North, Lokale watched her sorghum fields dry up under the unforgiving heat. Like thousands of others, she feared she would be forced to make desperate choices — such as skipping meals, selling livestock or relying on wild fruits — to survive.

But in May, she counted among 53,000 people receiving WFP’s anticipatory cash assistance for the hardest-hit Kapoeta North and neighbouring Budi counties. In July, WFP joined South Sudanese authorities and other partners in triggering the country’s anticipatory action plan, targeting nearly 66,000 people.

The early action is helping drought-hit families prepare for dry months ahead through a raft of initiatives that also help strengthen food security. Photo: WFP/Gabriela Vivacqua

Families received early-warning messages to prepare for the dry months ahead, along with support and information in key areas such as nutrition, livestock care and water management. Beyond strengthening food security, such initiatives can also reduce gender-based violence — which risks rising as climate shocks intensify economic and other stresses and break down community bonds.

“What we are seeing in Kapoeta North demonstrates that when we invest in preparedness and act on forecasts, we can help families protect themselves before a crisis strikes,” says WFP’s Chimuka.

“Now my children can eat”

Women collect WFP cash assistance in South Sudan’s Kapoeta North County which they can spend on staples — purchases that also help local commerce. Photo: WFP/Gabriela Vivacqua

On a recent morning, Lokale joined hundreds of people to pick up the WFP cash, the equivalent of US$34 per person. She spent it on staples like maize flour and beans — purchases that also support local commerce.

“I bought food immediately,” she says. “Now my children can eat while we wait for the next harvest.”

She is still waiting for rain. But at least, she is protected from the worst effects of the drought.

“The assistance came when we needed it most,” Lokale says. “Without it, we would have suffered much more.”

WFP’s anticipatory action initiatives for vulnerable communities in South Sudan are made possible thanks to generous support of the Government of Germany and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).