Haram’s family already lost everything once when fleeing Sudan, then extreme floods hit Maban, South Sudan, and they lost everything again

Dear John,

I’m writing to tell you about some of the people my colleague Joshua and I met recently in South Sudan. I first went to South Sudan just over ten years ago. At that time the country was in the throes of a civil war which was tearing families apart and forcing thousands from their homes.

Recently, I travelled back to South Sudan to some of the same places that I went to all those years before. Sadly, families are still being forced to flee - this time by cycles of flooding.

In Maban, Joshua and I were greeted by Alex Noel Kilong, UNHCR’s “environment and livelihoods guy”, an expert who has worked for many years across his country to support people among the hardest hit by extreme weather. He takes us to visit a nearby refugee camp; a quiet maze of homes belonging to refugees who’ve fled from Sudan.

Alex introduces us to Haram, a farmer who fled Sudan and supports her family by growing maize. As we stand under the burning sun, she recalls a recent rainy season that completely destroyed her crops, leaving her family with no food to eat.

We need your help to support farmers like Haram who are among the hardest hit by cycles of floods and extreme weather.

Alex also introduced us to Awad, who has started growing sesame. With UNHCR’s guidance he decided to diversify what he was growing and switched to higher value cash crops. Although it is more work to grow sesame, the change has increased his yearly income, and his family also enjoy eating the seeds.

That night thunder and lightning filled the dark sky above Maban, as the rains started to pour in sheets across the UNHCR compound. “This is it,” Alex tells us as we stand in the rain the next morning. “The rainy season is starting, so we must make sure the dikes are completed and we deliver as much assistance to people as we can before the floods.”

With your support, we can help more farmers like Haram and Awad by building dikes to protect their land and homes, and offering training on sustainable farming practices so they can grow crops, earn an income, and feed their families.

Next week you will hear from my colleague Joshua, who I travelled to South Sudan with. He is going to tell you about the vital work we are doing supporting refugees arriving from Sudan, fleeing ongoing war and violence.

Thank you,

Amy Christian
UNHCR Communications Officer