Fact sheet: South Sudan

COUNTRY FACTS

• Area: 644, 329 km² (slightly smaller than Alberta)
• World Bank income level: low income
• Population (JULY 2013): 11,090,104, of which 46% are below the age of 14
• Median age (2013): 16.6 years
• Population below poverty line (2009): 50.6%
• Life expectancy (2011): 54

HISTORY OF ACF IN SOUTH SUDAN

• For the past 20 years, ACF has tackled malnutrition, lack of clean water, and food insecurity in the region that is now South Sudan
• 4 million – people currently in need of humanitarian aid, including food
• Type of work we do – running lifesaving nutrition interventions for severely malnourished children, helping South Sudan develop its agricultural potential through food security and livelihood programs; providing people with clean water; improving sanitation by building hundreds of latrines; educating communities on hygienic practices
• Ongoing challenges – providing humanitarian aid while restricted by armed conflict; delivering aid despite limited transportation and communication infrastructure; helping both those displaced due to violence as well as refugees from neighbouring countries; overcoming recurring food shortages due to natural disasters, seasonal changes, and the closing of the border with Sudan
• Our 2012 achievements in numbers:
  • 145, 523 = people who accessed safe water and sanitation
  • 259, 123 = people who received nutritional support
  • 61,952 = people who gained economic self-sufficiency

CURRENT CRISIS (As reported by UNOCHA)

• In mid-December 2013, political turmoil in the capital led to violence that quickly spread to most of South Sudan
• Thousands are already dead; many are wounded
• The lives of as many as 194,000 people have been disrupted: they have been uprooted from their towns and states, their livelihoods thrown into disarray, as they search for food and safety within the country’s borders
• About 57,500 of those displaced by the conflict are seeking shelter in humanitarian aid camps, while 40,590 are currently reported to be seeking refuge in neighbouring countries
• Food, clean water, medical supplies, sanitation, hygiene, and shelter are the most urgent needs of those displaced
• Overcrowding in the many sites that offer aid is starting to put a strain on relief efforts, efforts that are already severely constrained due to continuing warfare that makes it difficult to reach all those that need help
• There is currently a high risk for disease outbreak (e.g. cholera)in the displaced populations and other vulnerable groups

NEXT STEPS

The current volatile climate in South Sudan has reduced our ability to properly conduct assessments to determine food security needs in the country. We will provide updates as soon as we can about the present situation in South Sudan and the status of our work there.

In the meantime, we hope that you will continue to support our work through your donations; donations that will fuel the reconstruction work once the situation in the country permits.