Mennonite Central Committee Canada (MCCC) is working with its partner, the Episcopal Church of South Sudan – South Sudanese development and relief agency (ECSS-SSUDRA) to provide food assistance to internally displaced people (IDP), refugee returnees and host families in the Rubkona Internally Displaced Peoples camp and Bentiu Municipality in Unity State, South Sudan.
South Sudan is facing an acute food security emergency that affects more than half of the population. Approximately 7.1 million individuals representing 56% of South Sudan’s total population are projected to face crisis-level or more severe acute food insecurity during the lean season from April to July 2024. The Rubkona IDP camp currently hosts 464,000 IDPs and refugee returnees in Bentiu municipality. They are unable to return to their homes due to ongoing conflicts, yet they cannot work or move freely and are dependent on humanitarian assistance to survive. Most have already liquidated their remaining household assets and local food systems have been weakened by severe flooding.
This project will contribute to efforts to save lives, protect livelihoods, reduce vulnerability and consumption gaps among the conflict, climate change and socio-economically affected and vulnerable households by providing monthly food assistance to 822 households (3,400 individuals) for a period of 8 months. The commodities to be provided each month include: 5 kg sorghum, 1.5 kg beans, 1 litre cooking oil, and 500 g salt as well as CAD$ 2.70 cash for milling Sorghum.