In Pochalla, Tearfund is working with the Presbyterian church, Lutheran church, Episcopal Church of South Sudan, Anglican church, Hope Church, Evangelical Presbyterian Church and Baptist Church.

It has also taken to the airwaves to broadcast radio messages with information about which rivers are likely to burst their banks and urging people to move their livestock to higher ground.

Erickson Bisetsa who is Tearfund’s Country Director for South Sudan said: “Living in South Sudan demands extraordinary resilience, and the ongoing floods are adding to the challenges faced by ordinary people already grappling with hunger and conflict. Tearfund is partnering with local community leaders, including church leaders to provide essential nutrition support to children affected by flood water in Pochalla. The situation is basically dire, and we are calling for support to be able to reach those communities to get prompt support so that we can save their lives.”

Tearfund said the height of the water this season is especially challenging with villages in the region of Pochalla particularly badly affected. Health workers are having to wade waist-deep through floods to reach malnourished children, with many communities cut off making relief efforts extremely challenging.

Erickson Bisetsa said: More than 3,000 people in this area are already in dire trouble, their homes, farmlands, local healthcare and other services are underwater. In some places, toilets and sanitation infrastructure are damaged and there is a heightened risk of waterborne diseases like cholera and malaria, which can prove fatal for undernourished children. Crops have also been damaged, raising fears of intensified hunger over the coming months.

“Tearfund has scaled up operations to conduct mass screenings for malnutrition among children under 5 years old. By doing so, we hope to identify those who are most at risk and provide emergency nutritional support during this difficult time. We are increasing public awareness through radio talks shows and adverts, but accessing areas cut off by the floodwater can be extremely challenging and we need more resources to be able to offer temporary shelter, clean water and food supplies for those who have been forced out of their homes by the floodwater.”

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