* Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
AID workers are telling of “scenes of devastation” in South Sudan’s conflict-hit border region – as villages are burned to the ground and 170,000 are left homeless.
Children’s charity, Plan International, has distributed emergency food supplies to more than 50,000 people who’ve fled clashes between rival tribes in Jonglei state.
“The situation on the ground is grim - people left their homes with nothing and have been in the bush for several weeks,“ says Plan International’s Country Director in South Sudan, Fikru Abebe.
“Amid the chaos, some children have been abandoned and have been found wandering alone and crying.”
“People haven’t had food, they haven’t had access to clean water and some are wounded and have no shelter.”
Plan is one of the first international organisations to respond to the crisis, distributing vegetable oils, cereals and beans to the homeless - mostly women and children.
The organisation is also preparing to deliver water and specialist hygiene kits as well as fishing tools to 5000 households and seeds to 1000 households.
“We are launching an appeal for more than £700,000 to get more aid to people caught up in the fighting, “ says Fikru Abebe.
“We need to take action now as the number of displaced people is growing every day and the conflict could escalate due to revenge attacks.”
“More South Sudanese who had settled in the North are also likely to return in the coming months – and this could exacerbate the existing conflicts.”
The agency is trying to reach as many at-risk people as possible, especially children.
“In addition to the physical needs like water and food, providing emotional first aid for young people is key,” explains Mr. Abebe.
“We are also implementing programmes to keep children safe and help them continue their education during this time of upheaval.”
Ends
Editor’s notes:
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Plan has been working in South Sudan since 2006 - helping poor children to access their rights to education, health, protection and economic security.
Notes to editors
1) Plan is a global children’s charity. We work with children in the world’s poorest countries to help them build a better future. A future you would want for all children, your family and friends. For over 70 years we’ve been taking action and standing up for every child’s right to fulfill their potential by:
· giving children a healthy start in life, including access to safe drinking water
· securing the education of girls and boys
· working with communities to prepare for and survive disasters
· inspiring children to take a lead in decisions that affect their lives
· enabling families to earn a living and plan for their children’s future.
We do what’s needed, where it’s needed most. We do what you would do. With your support children, families and entire communities have the power to move themselves from a life of poverty to a future with opportunity.
2) Plan UK is a member of The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), an umbrella organisation for 14 leading humanitarian aid agencies.
3) We work with children in 50 of the world’s poorest countries to help them build a better future.
4) Plan was founded by British journalist John Langdon-Davies in 1937 to rescue orphans and other vulnerable children from the Spanish Civil War.
6) We have over 100,000 sponsors in the UK, generating £24 million a year, and 1 million sponsored children worldwide
7) Sponsorship starts at £15-a-month and, rather than going to individual children and their families, funds projects to improve schooling, health, nutrition and livelihoods across communities.
