Imagine experiencing a health emergency, but the closest hospital is a five-hour canoe ride away. This is the stark reality for the hardest-to-reach communities in South Sudan.
Nyaluit Chuol and her children live in a displacement camp. They are among the 4 million people in South Sudan who have been driven from their homes by war and extreme weather. Nyaluit, a young widow, had to make the difficult decision to leave home after months of flooding left her family without food or clean water.
She took her five children, including an infant and two toddlers, and set off, bringing only what they could carry. “It was a very difficult journey, because some people want to kill you,” she recalls, referring to a violence tribe patrolling the region. After 70 miles and six long days of walking, they arrived at the camp exhausted and malnourished.
Their journey to safety wasn’t over
Not long after they arrived, 4-year-old Nyayien and 2-year-old Mar got very sick from measles. Fortunately, Lutheran World Relief runs a medical clinic at the camp. Health workers stabilized the children and treated their measles, but Nyayien and Mar were severely malnourished from their journey and their illness. They would need advanced treatment at a larger hospital.
Nyayien (left) and Mar outside their tent in the displacement camp.
The problem? Nyaluit didn’t have access to a canoe.
Extreme flooding in South Sudan leaves families stranded
South Sudan continues to endure one of the world’s worst and longest-lasting humanitarian crises. Two-thirds of people experience poverty.
What’s more, seasonal rains have caused widespread flooding — leaving entire communities stranded for long stretches of time. These floodwaters usually subside after a few months, when the rainy season ends … but these have endured for four years.
Basic health care is an urgent need for displaced and isolated families. Our generous donors are standing in the gap to ensure the most vulnerable people in Jonglei state have access to essential medical services. This looks like treatment for malaria and other illnesses; delivering key vaccines like tetanus and polio; ensuring children and pregnant women have adequate nourishment; and much more.
In many cases, Lutheran World Relief — powered by our donors — is the only help that is reaching these communities.
A boat to go the extra mile
For worried mother Nyaluit and her sick children, Lutheran World Relief offered a unique solution to her canoe problem. To bring health care within reach, our donors purchased a motorboat. This boat carries medical supplies between sites and serves as an ambulance to rush emergency cases to the hospital — cutting a five-hour journey down to one hour.
The motorboat serves four remote displacement camps in South Sudan.
This means fewer women are dying from complications during labor. It means affordable transport is available when needed. And it means little Nyayien and Mar got the lifesaving treatment they needed, just in time!
