In the early months of 2017, a famine was officially declared in parts of South Sudan. Whilst the famine was only officially declared in a couple of states, most of the rest of the country was classified as being in “Crisis” or “Emergency”.

This map shows the status of food insecurity in the country in May 2017.

Long periods of drought dried out the ground and many crops died.

Food that was growing became spoilt with the lack of rain.

Along with the ongoing conflict, the famine forced families to relocate in search of food and safety.

More than two million people were on the brink of starvation across the country, and around half the population were facing extreme food shortages.

Emergency supplies were provided to those most in need.

Many non-government organisations (NGOs), such as Caritas agencies, provided assistance.

Large sacks of staple food, like maize and sorghum, were given to help feed a family for a few weeks.

Some sacks also contained seeds for South Sudanese to plant crops once the rain returns.

These children enjoy sorghum porridge after many days without much food at all.

It was great relief for the millions of people that were hungry.

Families were forced to live on very little.

This family is preparing a simple meal of boiled green vegetables.

Rosa Lyo lives in Rajaf, a rural village 45 minutes drive from Juba.

She had to walk 90 minutes to collect bitter weeds and okra (shown here) to have enough to eat.

Although there are now no areas declared as in a famine state, the actual number of people facing acute food insecurity rose to approximately 6 million people (half of the population) towards the end of 2018.

Caritas South Sudan continues to help families who have been affected by conflict and are experiencing food insecurity issues.

Image Credits: Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand Caritas Internationalis